White Knights and Dark Apprentices
by Chantal du Lac
Summary: The Jedi, the Sith. The never ending war. The forbidden passion. But what happens when you have to choose between your duty and your heart? Slowburn Reylo and another original pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't have anything to do with Star Wars, except being a big fan of the movies.**

 **Many thanks to BlackRoseRaven for betaing this story.**

 **White Knights and Dark Apprentices**

 **Prologue**

 _A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..._

 _"_ The Sith killed each other, victims of their own greed. But from the ashes of destruction, I was the last survivor. I hereby institute this rule: There shall be only two Sith at any given time; a Dark Lord of the Sith to embody power, and an apprentice to crave it. He among us who breaks this rule will once more witness the destruction of our Order _."_

Darth Plagueis put down the ancient volume he had quoted from, and sized up his apprentice, keenly awaiting his reaction.

Lord Sidious faced away from his master, looking through the large windows. Before him the glorious, steep mountains of Moraband stretched out, past the valley of the Sith Lords' tombs. Far behind the valley he could see the thick, reddish waves of sand rise menacingly, driven by an incoming storm. That was fitting, he thought, taking into account what was about to happen.

"Why quote Lord Bane's teachings so suddenly, my master?" Sidious asked, his voice perfectly controlled. He did not turn around, a slight smile tugging at his thin lips.

"I thought a reminder might be appropriate, to make you once more aware of the consequences of breaking Lord Bane's rule," Plagueis said. "Know that I am perfectly aware of your actions, my apprentice. If you think you can hide anything from me, then you are deeply mistaken."

He sensed Sidious hesitate for a moment, before the apprentice replied: "Master, if you are worried because my daughter, please set your mind at ease. She does not want our power. She will never become a Sith. She poses no threat to you, or me, for that matter."

Plagueis chuckled. "It's not her who worries me," he said, and abruptly dropped the topic as they were interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. Then the automatic doors hissed open, and a young woman stepped in, her eyes sweeping over the two Sith in the library, immediately sensing the tense atmosphere.

"Good afternoon, Lord Plagueis. I hear you have asked for my presence," she said.

"You know how much I enjoy your company, Deanna. Please come in. I'd like you to continue reading from the volume you read to me yesterday."

Lord Sidious stepped away from the windows, and gave a warning look to his daughter. If Plagueis had found out that he had taken Darth Maul as an apprentice, confrontation between them would be unavoidable. Unless he sped up his plans, and prevented that in the first place.

"I bid you good evening then, my master. I shall retire," Sidious said, his eyes locking with his daughter's once more.

The young woman averted her eyes after a moment, and gracefully sat on a chair at Darth Plagueis' side, quietly summoning an old volume and opening it.

Lord Sidious stepped out, the doors hissing shut behind him. He removed his lightsaber from his belt and took a few steps down the corridor, holding his breath, his attention still fully focused on what was going on in the room behind him...

When he switched on his weapon, he held no doubt as to his master's demise.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter I**

" _Take off that mask. You don't need it."_

 _Han Solo drew closer to him on the narrow metal bridge, his eyes filled with worry._

" _What do you think you'll see if I do?" he asked, sounding bolder than he felt._

" _The face of my son."_

Kylo Ren gasped and sat up as he suddenly woke up. He took a deep breath when he registered his usual surroundings. Ah, that bloody nightmare. It had not happened in a long time. He thought he had managed to leave his past behind after three years of hard training and enduring beyond what he had thought himself capable of. At the time, he had thought murdering Han Solo would help him delve further into the dark side, and so it had. But for months after his father's death, these sort of nightmare still plagued him, a reminder of the fact that Ben Solo had not yet completely dissolved into Kylo Ren. As time had passed, the feeling of guilt had gradually faded, though, leaving him more and more indifferent toward his past.

He walked to the large window of his bedroom and glanced outside. Night and day intertwined, fighting for dominance. Almost dawn, he thought.

A few minutes later he was splashing ice cold water on his face when he heard the door to his chambers opening. Two home droids came in, one bringing him breakfast and the other a fresh set of clothing. He had programmed them so they would attend to his needs as soon as he woke up. Every morning was the same ritual, so he did not pay them any attention as they retired with his used clothing.

As he ate his breakfast at the table in front of the window, watching the sun rise, bathing the new Capital planet in glowing light, it occurred to him that his dream might have been related to Snoke, Supreme Leader of the First Order, summoning him early in the morning, to discuss "something of the utmost importance".

Snoke's mysterious statement had made him anxious. Could it be that Snoke thought Kylo Ren was finally ready to be entrusted with a mission? Although it had been weeks since he had completed his training, Snoke had not yet sent for him.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm down his anxiety. Ever since that fateful day when Kylo Ren had almost been killed by a mere force sensitive girl with no training whatsoever – at least that's what Rey was in the eyes of everyone surrounding him, including Snoke's – he had to put up with his shameful defeat and quietly train, pushing his limits to become what he was now, an accomplished disciple of the Dark Side. It was one of the basic requirements of the dark disciples to be discreet and not stand out while the Sith were still in hiding. He was thus compelled to show his allies that his fiery temper did not get the worst of him anymore. Darth Vader would have surely been proud of what his grandson had achieved. Ren could now easily emulate Vader's calm demeanour and collectedness. Snoke, however, had kept him at a distance, as if he sensed something was wrong with his apprentice's intentions. At least during the last three years Snoke had done his part and completed his training, something that Ren desperately needed.

It had been a frustrating process, but he had learned patience in the meantime. He had learned to wait for the right moment to strike. He had learned to wait for his revenge. It was a co-dependent relationship: just as Snoke was using him for his powers, so was Kylo Ren using Snoke's knowledge of the Dark Side. Becoming the strongest, getting rid of the so-called Supreme Leader and reinstalling the Empire had always been his goals. That was why he had joined Snoke in the first place. It made sense, it was the way of the Sith. Darth Vader had been so close to achieving all that. Unfortunately, Luke Skywalker had not been able to understand his greater purpose and coerced his grandfather to make an unworthy choice. How he hated his uncle! Once he finished with Snoke, nothing would stand between him and the revenge against Skywalker and his new protégées.

Ren cleared his mind of these thoughts, as a protocol droid made its presence known, asking him to report before the Supreme Leader. He pulled his helmet and gloves on and followed the protocol droid.

* * *

The new palace hosting the Galactic Senate had been completed just months before. Kylo Ren crossed the lush gardens surrounding it, marvelling at how quickly Snoke had changed strategy after the StarKiller disaster. It seemed that taking action from the shadow of the First Order no longer appealed to their Supreme Leader. He wanted to be more than the leader of a terror organisation. Snoke had stepped into the light under his every day identity, prince of Hasterian, and was now a distinguished member of the Senate. The First Order, which he still ruled as Supreme Leader, had not been dissolved, but its activity had been significantly scaled down. Now and then Kylo's faithful soldiers, the Knights of Ren, had been called to join random attacks against the new Republic and the outposts of the Resistance, but it was all for show, to keep the illusion that the First Order was slowly dissolving. While Snoke had decided to rely more on wisdom than on warfare in order to get where he wanted to, the consolidation of the First Order had continued at sustained pace. The lessons of the former Emperor had finally been put into practice. From the reports he had heard, Snoke's influence in the Senate had been steadily growing, although Kylo Ren was not yet sure how he was planning to overthrow the new Republic and take over.

Perhaps he was about to share some of his plans with Ren this morning.

The protocol droid led Ren to the antechamber of Prince of Hasterian in the Senate building. He invited him to sit down and wait until his master was ready to receive him.

As Kylo Ren sat down, the feeling of anxiety returned to him and he made an effort to stifle it again. Beyond the golden doors he felt the presence of Snoke and one more person, someone very strong with the Force, but whom he could not recognise. A Jedi? Here? He got an immediate answer to his question, as suddenly the ornate double doors opened, and a young man burst into the antechamber. He was tall, blond, unusually handsome and wearing a black attire, much as Ren himself. His blue, blazing eyes fell on the seated Sith apprentice and he smirked, turning to Snoke.

"He's here, Supreme Leader."

"I told you not to call me that in here," came Snoke's cold voice from the room.

"Forgive me, your Highness," he acquiesced, still wearing that smug grimace as Ren bypassed him, removed his helmet and came to bow deeply before Snoke. In person, the Supreme Leader looked as frail, pale and short as usual, nothing like in the image displayed by the menacing hologram Kylo Ren had grown accustomed to see. However, by now the leader of the Knights of Ren knew that the Supreme Leader's cruelty knew no bounds, much as his knowledge of the Dark Arts. He was never to be underestimated.

The other man closed the doors and came to stand at his side, eyeing him with unmasked curiosity.

"Kylo Ren, this is Darth Kai," Snoke said. "I've been training him in the Dark Arts for a while now."

The two men weighed each other coldly. Ren had many questions, but everything became quite clear when Snoke added:

"I have decided to go against Darth Bane's First Rule and train more than one apprentice at one time. I will succeed where Lord Sidius has failed. There need to be more of us if we are to face the Jedis that Luke Skywalker is teaching at the old Jedi temple. He is not to be underestimated. Luke Skywalker is by far the strongest Jedi I have met in my long existence. Even stronger than Yoda at the height of his power. Whenever he falls, he just gets back on his feet and starts over. His resilience makes me worried."

He paused, looking at a spot above the two men before him.

"I have summoned both of you today, as we are now prepared to launch our offensive. Before that however, my daughter is to join us. You will both go to Valeant and bring her here."

"Milord, surely you can find someone more fit for such a simple mission... " Darth Kai interjected, and for the first time Kylo Ren was happy he had been the one to exercise self-control, when Snoke lifted his new apprentice above the ground with one simple gesture cutting off the flow of air to his lungs.

"You will learn to think before you speak once and for all," he said, releasing Kai a few painful minutes later. Ren noticed that Snoke had sounded more like an angry parent than a Dark Lord of the Sith. The Supreme Leader seemed to hold some fondness for his newest apprentice. A wave of profound dislike washed over Ren.

"Yes, your highness," the young man managed, his cheeks burning with humiliation.

Ren cleared his mind and bowed again to his master.

"I will set off immediately, milord," he said curtly, signalling to Darth Kai to follow him.

"Take a star cruiser and have it properly staffed. I want no mistakes during this particular mission." Snoke ordered, turning back to the screen on his desk.

* * *

"He's told me all about you, you know," Darth Kai said as soon as they left the palace and were out of Snoke's range. Kylo Ren ignored him completely and walked purposefully back to his quarters where his ship awaited him.

"You failed him so badly that he seriously thought of abandoning you together with the StarKiller. I still think he would have, should he have known that he would encounter me just a few months later. It's too bad it happened this way."

Kylo Ren suddenly whirled on Snoke's apprentice and calmly said: "I understand your frustration well enough, Darth Kai. One of us will have to die when the time comes. However, in the meantime we will have to put up with each other and succeed in our mission, otherwise Snoke will dispose of both of us. You heard him, he no longer wants to rely upon just one apprentice. Not only I, but you as well, are just as disposable to him right now."

Darth Kai went slightly pale and closed the distance between them.

"She is surely an apprentice, or at least Force sensitive. I feel that this mission is a trial for both of us."

"What do you suggest then?" Kylo Ren asked, amused, reading his rival's thoughts all too clearly.

"Isn't it obvious? Once she joins her father, Snoke will not need us anymore. I think they are in conflict somehow and he has to rely on us to bring her here. Instead...let's make it look like we failed and that there was an accident..."

Kylo Ren scoffed and pushed him away. "Let's not do that. Let's leave things to unfold and then we'll see what lies ahead."

Darth Kai cursed under his breath, but followed Kylo Ren to his small ship nonetheless. "In the meantime I guess my enemy's enemy is my friend," he said through gritted teeth loud enough for Ren to hear him.

"Set course for the Finalizer," Kylo Ren ordered the pilot as they stepped onto the command post of the small ship.

Kylo Ren sank into the comfortable co-pilot seat behind the control panel and sighed. He felt Darth Kai still seething behind him. It was going to be a long way to Valeant...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter II**

Rey sat cross legged on the wooden floor of the main training room at the new Jedi academy, together with a dozen other Padawan learners. She was watching the final test of Jamie Kenobi's trials with rapt attention.

The young Padawan was duelling master Skywalker in a glorious lightsaber confrontation. Despite her apparent calm, Rey's heart was beating madly. It was the first time she had watched such a close fight. Master Skywalker was having serious difficulty against Jamie, and that had never happened before. The other two young Jedis who had succeeded the trials had barely come to a draw against their master.

Just one year older than Rey herself, young Kenobi had proven to be a prodigy among them since the first time his aunt had brought him in to train under Luke Skywalker at the academy.

He was like a continuous explosion of light and energy, always focused on the present, always mindful of the others, always positive and wearing a cheerful smile on his bright and open features. Like a miniature supernova, he could hardly be contained.

Just like now, when he attacked Luke with all his might, cornering his master as if he knew what his next move would be. He seemed like he had been one step ahead of Luke from the moment the duel started. He deployed so much energy, jumping around and preventing all of Luke's attacks that the duel was a show in itself. Finally, he managed to push Luke toward one of the walls, their lightsabers locking, each of them fighting to gain dominance through the Force. Luke seemed to make a desperate effort to push him off, but Jamie could not be forced to yield in the slightest.

A chill went down Rey's spine as she watched this familiar battle of wills. She had been through one, in the most gruesome moment of her existence. She instinctively replayed that exact scene in her mind, and she could still see Kylo Ren's smouldering midnight stare boring into her frightened, panic-filled eyes. Although he had had more than one chance to kill her, he had stood there looking at her, waiting for an answer.

Rey was shaken from her reverie by the cries of joy that suddenly surrounded her. Unlike Kylo Ren, Jamie Kenobi had not hesitated before his opponent. He had swiftly and unexpectedly unlocked his saber and slashed Luke' s gloved hand, making him drop his weapon.

Master Skywalker had yelped in surprise looking at his mechanical hand, now destroyed beyond repair.

"Damn it, Jamie, this will be hell to be put back in order," he said. "Well done though!" he added with a smile. "You are officially a Jedi Knight."

Jamie did not have time to reply, for he was suddenly surrounded by the other padawans and hoisted up. Their joy was contagious: it was the first time that one of them had truly defeated Master Skywalker.

Rey stood and joined them. A slight feeling of envy washed over her as she watched Jamie laughing loudly and enjoying the attention bestowed upon him by his colleagues. Although she had done well in the life and death confrontation against a real enemy three years before, she was still very far from achieving Jamie's level, at least on a technical level. Sometimes she feared that she would never reach that level and that her progress with discovering the Force was too slow; and fear, Master Luke had said it many times, was the path leading to the Dark Side.

The Dark Side seemed to be the least of Jamie's concerns as he was finally released and walked towards her, putting a friendly arm around her shoulders.

"So, what did you think?" he asked, flashing her a crooked smile, as he led her outside the Jedi temple. Rey took in his cheerful expression, his deep blue eyes, his flawless skin, slightly flushed from the effort before and his strict padawan style haircut. Jamie was the only one among their colleagues to have cut his blond hair that short, leaving just one braid, the way his great uncle Obi-wan used to wear his hair back in his padawan days.

"You know you did an amazing job, Jamie, and you are just fishing for compliments," she replied, the feeling of envy disappearing instantly as he grinned again.

"No I'm not, I actually need your help if I am to survive the anger of our master," he said pointedly. "You know I don't have the skills to repair his mechanical hand. Or to repair anything else, for that matter."

"All right, I'll help," she said, amused, but Jamie was already running in the direction of two older ladies carrying what seemed like heavy luggage between them.

"Many thanks!" he cried from afar, already carrying their bags to their transport.

Rey shook her head, looking after him, wondering how someone so confident, fearless and carefree could even exist. She wished she could be like him, if only for one day.

* * *

Luke tried in vain to flex the fingers of his artificial hand as he walked back from the Jedi temple to his private chambers.

"Satisfied of your apprentice, you are," Yoda's shadow noted at his side.

"I was, until he destroyed this piece of art," Luke commented. "He did extremely well though. Even beyond my own expectations. He has so much of Obi-wan in him."

He heard Yoda chuckle quietly. "No, no, toward the past or future Obi-wan always looked. Never aware of his surroundings he was. Superior skills your apprentice has. Focused he is."

"I meant that he's not only strong with the Force, master Yoda, he's also showing the dedication that Obi-wan showed to the Jedi order. He's so...so selfless. It's a very rare trait in our times."

"Indeed. A message you have received," Yoda acquiesced, quietly disappearing.

 _Why does he always do that?_ Luke wondered, annoyed. Nice of Yoda to come and go as he pleased. He entered his private quarters and approached his desk, pressing a button.

His sister Leia, commander of the Resistance, had indeed left a message for him. "Luke, we have spotted Ben's ship close to Valeant just a few minutes ago. We need to send someone to check out whether or not he's really on board."

Luke sighed in resignation. Leia had not yet given up on finding her son, even after the three years during which it had been impossible to find any trace of him throughout the galaxy. Due to the Force, they both knew he was alive, but unlike Leia, Luke had given up on Ben Solo a long time ago. The man who had killed all his padawan fellows except one, and who had even committed patricide, could not come back to the light. Ben Solo had destroyed an entire generation of Jedi ,and it had taken Luke another ten years to put things back on track.

If Luke was honest with himself, many times he had doubted Ben Solo's capacity to become a Jedi. He had a great command of the Force and huge potential, but, just like his grandfather Anakin, little restraint. But Luke desperately wanted to believe that someone in his family would continue the Jedi tradition. The price he had to pay in the end for trusting Ben Solo had proved to be far too high.

He had no choice now, unfortunately. Leia wanted to send someone along with Poe Dameron in a recognizance mission to Valeant, even if it was a false lead. How could he deny a mother's wish?

He thought for a second who would be the right person for the mission and it occurred to him that Rey knew Kylo Ren best among the new recruits. She could easily feel his presence through the Force, if he was on board that ship or on the planet. Her skills had been steadily improving, and Luke was happy with the way Rey was evolving. He just wished she had more confidence when it came to her powers. Only when someone pushed her to the limit she truly showed what she was made of. Her link to the Force still intimidated her. Her own powers frightened her. A lot of things would have been much easier if he just told her the truth about her past, but at the moment he did not think it appropriate to burden her further.

However, he could not let her go alone. It was time for Jamie Kenobi to be assigned on his first real mission.

* * *

"You seem awfully tense, Rey," Jamie said, interrupting her unpleasant train of thoughts. They were on board of the Millenium Falcon. Poe Dameron was piloting the ship, while Jamie relaxed in one of the chairs, his feet comfortably plopped up on the table in front of him and eating candy from a bag in his hand.

Of course Rey was tense. Soon they'd be out of hyperspace, close enough to Valeant and not far from the Finalizer. Even Poe was tense; she could feel it through the Force.

"Give me my lightsaber will you?" she gestured to the small table where he rested his feet. "We'll be there any time now."

"Why? You plan to start a fight immediately?" he asked with amusement, levitating her saber towards her without even lifting a finger.

Rey gave him a disapproving look, surprised to see that Poe on the other hand was watching him with admiration. "Are you going to use your powers for any little thing from now on?"

He shrugged. "That's why it's there for, isn't it?"

"Master Luke would be angry."

"But he's not here now, is he? A dime for your thoughts though, Rey."

He extended a hand in her direction, pretending to read her mind and Rey recoiled and protected her thoughts so gingerly that Jamie frowned. "Now I'm really worried," he said. "I was not really planning to invade your mind you know. I was joking."

She did not have time to reply, because Poe draw their attention: "We're here," he said, as they came out of hyperspace. The two Jedi knights approached the control panel to see the small green planet before them.

"Valeant is there all right. But no trace of the Finaliser though," Poe said. "Do you sense Kylo Ren around?"

The question was addressed to Rey, but it was Jamie who answered instantly: "I don't know whether it's Kylo Ren, but I can feel more than one...presence on the planet. And..." he added looking confused, "I feel like...like I need to go there." Rey did not reply, although she knew that one of the persons was indeed her archenemy. She could feel it through the Force, as clear as if he was nearby.

"If Snoke and Kylo Ren are there we are not going anywhere near that planet, Jamie," Poe Dameron said. "We need to get out of here and fast. Their ship cannot be far."

It was too late though. Suddenly their ship was under attack by another one, twenty times larger: the Finalizer was right behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter III**

Valeant was a green, beautiful world. It was home to some of the richest individuals in the Galaxy. Its climate was mild and sunny most of the time, and had incentivised the construction of many palaces as holiday homes. It was also said that spending time on the planet, especially at its gazers resort, had healing results.

One of the most beautiful palaces belonged to the prince of Hasterian. Locals had never seen the owner before, but the palace and its sumptuous gardens were well administered. In charge was an elderly lady who could be rarely be seen leaving the palace.

That afternoon she was taking care of her usual business when she received an unusual transmission from her master.

She bowed deeply before the hologram in front of her:

"Lady Coralia," Snoke spoke softly. "I trust you are well."

"It's been a while, Supreme Leader."

"The time has come," Snoke said simply. "I have sent two of my apprentices to bring the Princess to me. You shall interrupt her cryogenic sleep and allow them passage. If she resists they will know what to do."

She respectfully bowed again. However, as soon as the transmission ended, the elderly woman's expression changed from respectful to panicked and became frantic. She ran out of the room and up the stairs leading to the second floor. Arriving in front of a blast door she typed a complicated code and entered. The room was almost empty. Next to the windows there was a clear cryogenic container, and next to it a control panel. An unmoving young woman laid in the container, surrounded by an icy component. Lady Coralia started pressing the buttons on the control panel swiftly, and once done she came near the dormant woman. A few moments later, the icy component turned into liquid and its prisoner was released. She opened her yes, gasping desperately for air, as Lady Coralia pulled her to a sitting position.

"Who...who are you?" she spluttered, her very long brown hair sticking ungracefully to the sides of her face.

"I am Coralia, milady, your handmaid."

"What is this nonsense," the girl said in a tone which suggested she was used to giving orders. "How can you be Coralia, you are old..." Suddenly she turned to look around and realised something was very wrong with her surroundings.

"Search your feelings, milady, and you will know it is me," Lady Coralia begged. "I know it comes as a bit of a shock ..."

Deanna raised a hand to silence her, looking at the control panel.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked softly.

"Quite some time milady, as you can see the toll it has taken on me."

The girl looked thunderstruck. Then she seemed to remember something and examined her body as if looking for wounds, but she saw none.

"That's not possible," she said, shaking her head.

"Milady, you have to leave now. Your life is in danger. Please come with me. Two Sith Lords are coming for you to take you to the Lord Plagueis."

Deanna gave a short laugh and stepped out from the pod, clear liquid dripping from her pale, lean body. "Lord Plagueis is dead. We killed him. Now help me get dressed."

Lady Coralia rushed after her young mistress who had entered the neighbouring washroom and was studying herself in the large mirror before unabashedly shedding her summary clothing and stepping into the ornate freshner.

"My father...and Lord Maul? Where are they? I cannot feel their presence here." she called, from under the stream of water.

Coralia hesitated. She had to tell her the truth, but the most important thing was to help her mistress escape first.

"What is the last thing you remember?" she asked quietly.

Deanna sighed: "I was rushing to meet Lord Maul when my ship was attacked and completely destroyed...I was gravely wounded, could not move at all...I thought I would die."

"It was Darth Plagueis who saved you and put you to sleep."

Deanna stepped out of the stream of water and Lady Coralia enveloped her in a soft robe. "He is alive. You and Lord Sidious failed to kill him," she added.

The young woman absent-mindedly tapped at her hair with a towel. "I suppose he does not mean to kill me, if he sent for me. But where is my father then?"

The handmaid was suddenly very still and lowered her eyes. That made her mistress focus her attention on her. Suddenly, the elderly woman gave a splintering cry and fell to her knees as her mistress searched her memory. Deanna herself staggered back when faced with the reality of her situation: she had been frozen in that pod more almost 80 years...her father had been betrayed by his own apprentice Darth Vader...the Rebellion destroying the Empire...Darth Plagueis seizing the moment to gain power using the First Order...sending his apprentices to bring her to him.

Her control slipped as shock took over. When Lady Coralia was released, she raised her eyes and saw Deanna leaning against the sink, her expression lost and devoid of any emotion.

"Milady, I will explain you everything once we leave this place...I don't think Lord Plagueis means well, he just wants to use you for his plans. His intentions are cruel. Please, you must escape!" the old handmaid begged.

The young woman did not reply, her hand gripping the side of the sink behind her for support.

Suddenly there was knock on the door and a stormtrooper entered. He saluted and said: "There is a transmission from the Finaliser. Lord Ren and Lord Kai are asking for permission to land on our premises."

Lady Coralia turned calmly to face him: "Permission granted, captain. Welcome the two guests according to their rank in the main reception room."

"Yes, Madam," he replied, disappearing instantly.

Lady Coralia turned to her mistress, who had not moved and was watching her in a detached manner. "Please milady, I'll bring you a stormtrooper uniform. We must leave this place now."

Deanna finally reacted, reaching out for a golden comb which landed in her outstretched palm. "No, we don't. I will see Lord Plagueis. It's what I need to do. I will finish what we failed to do. Fetch me a proper dress and help me prepare to meet his minions," she said decidedly.

* * *

General Hux stepped up the control platform of the ship as they came out of hyperspace.

"We're here, Sir," the captain told him.

He knew that well enough, but it was a relief in any case. Being on the same ship with Ren again was a nightmare in itself. He had not seen him in three years and it had been a blessing. Since that day when he had brought him back to the First Order headquarters and left him in the infirmary to be put back together by a whole bunch of medical droids, Hux had been grateful to the Supreme Leader for not making them work together again.

He studied Ren's back as the young Sith stared through the window in front of him. He was wearing his usual black battle gear and cape, as well as his infamous helmet. Hux detested how he could not read any of Ren's expressions because of that mask. In any case, Ren seemed completely focused on the green planet before him, that is until the doors behind them opened and a young, handsome man stormed in.

That made Hux feel even more on the edge. His eyes darted from one apprentice to the other. They were so different in manner, almost complementary. If Hux wouldn't have known well Kylo Ren's real temper... If one saw Ren, looking calm and collected, almost like a dark statue, its arms crossed on his chest, staring ahead, and Darth Kai storming in the room, eager, agitated, wearing a simple dark blue First Order attire, his hand on the hilt of his light saber, one could not possibly imagine that they had anything in common.

Fortunately, Hux knew how volatile Kylo Ren really was. He had carefully observed him since fate had once again had brought them together, and on the surface Ren seemed so much calmer and sure of himself, seemed to have made so much progress to through his training. Perhaps that confrontation he had on the StarKiller base had made him consider his adversaries more carefully and not rush into things. However, Hux knew well that predators like him never changed their ways.

On the other hand, Darth Kai did not seem to try to restrain himself in any way. While he was not throwing any childish tantrums of the type that Kylo Ren had used to, he had a reputation of having no problem killing in cold blood or torturing anyone who crossed him.

The young sith apprentice stopped next to Kylo Ren and took his time to contemplate and focus on the planet before them. A few moments passed quietly, although Darth Kai's hand was still clutching the hilt of his lightsaber.

"So," he finally asked. "Do you feel it?"

Kylo Ren slowly turned to him.

"No," he acknowledged, his voice sounding deep and metallic from behind his mask.

"Neither do I," Darth Kai said, sounding a little relieved. "Weird though. She should be awake by now."

"Captain, send a signal to the Palace requesting landing permission. We'll take a TIE-Fighter down there," Ren ordered and turned on his heels.

"Are you coming or not?" he asked Kai.

"I am, but taking my own ship down there," the other apprentice replied arrogantly.

General Hux let out a breath as he watched them leave the bridge together.

* * *

Having each descended to Valeant in his own ship, the two apprentices were led by a stormtrooper captain through the lush gardens and into the Palace until they reached a sumptuous reception room and they were left alone to wait. It was so large and so lavishly ornate that for a few seconds the two men just stood there, looking around.

Finally Darth Kai said pointedly: "Well, this certainly is _different_ from First Order accommodations."

Kylo Ren did not respond. A few moments later an elderly lady entered the room and bowed briefly to them. "Welcome, milords. The Princess will be with you in a few minutes. In the meantime I have ordered some refreshments for you."

Coralia looked from one apprentice to another, but they made no move to sit down. They both seemed tense. Turning on her heel, she left the room.

Darth Kai sighed and looked at Ren again, pushing his thoughts towards him. _I still don't feel like there is someone Force-sensitive in this place._

Just then the doors at the other end of the reception room opened and a woman in a silky blue dress entered and gracefully walked towards them. Her manner was so quiet that she seemed to be rather gliding towards them than walking. As she approached, for a moment, the two men were stunned by what they saw. Both had travelled the galaxy back and forth, but had never seen a creature of such human beauty before. To say that she was fair was an understatement: very large, expressive, almost innocent blue eyes graced a perfectly proportioned face. Her thick, curly brown hair was arranged in a complicated hairdo adorned with a small tiara made of expensive blue and translucent crystals. The dress she was wearing revealed a very small waist and a generous, almost provocative cleavage.

 _How can she be Snoke's daughter?_ Kylo Ren smirked behind his mask when he inadvertently intercepted Darth Kai's thoughts and his instant attraction towards the unusual creature.

She stopped in front of them, appraising them with a curious gaze and Ren gave her a respectful nod: "Your father has sent us, Princess. I am Kylo Ren, his apprentice, and commander of the First Order."

Her eyes held a trace of irony for a moment before she said, gesturing to his helmet: "Are you some strange species or is this the latest trend in the First Order?"

Kylo Ren heard Darth Kai chuckle at his side and blushed slightly.

"Forgive me, Princess," he said, his voice cold and metallic before he removed his helmet, his wavy locks falling in disarray around his face. He dropped the helmet unceremoniously on the nearby table, and gave her a slightly irritated look. But Deanna seemed completely unphased by his behaviour and her glance shifted to Darth Kai.

Darth Kai pushed again his thoughts towards Ren. _Seems like dark and brooding is not her style_ , _mate_. He bowed to Deanna, enveloping her in a heated stare. "Darth Kai, milady," he said softly in his most deep, charming voice that Ren knew had made already some victims among the female staff on the Finaliser. However, Snoke's daughter completely ignored Kai's stance as well.

 _And it looks like arrogant pretty boy is not her style either_. Ren couldn't help it and smirked. He still did not know what to believe about the woman before them. She did not seem Force-sensitive, and he could not feel any flow of energy coming from her. However, it was impossible to read her either. Something was off about her.

"So the time has come," she said quietly, as if she was talking to herself. She looked from one apprentice to another and continued: "I have been in cryogenic sleep for a while. I will need to be fully briefed before I reach my father."

"We have full archives on the Finaliser, milady," Kylo Ren said. "With your permission, we should set off soon."

"Understood, Kylo Ren," she said, slightly amused. "I will order my handmaids to bring my things and we can leave."

On cue, the elderly woman entered the room and bowed to her mistress.

"You heard me," Deanna said, turning to her. They exchanged a look that escaped the two men.

Kylo Ren put back his helmet as the three of them left the palace, followed by elderly lady and two stormtroopers carrying bags.

They reached the area where they had left the two TIE cruisers and the stormtroopers stepped inside Kylo Ren's ship.

"You should go with me, Princess," Darth Kai said, placing a hand on Deanna's shoulder. "It is more comfortable." His eyes were smiling at her.

"I'm in charge of this mission. The Princess will accompany _me_ ," Kylo Ren said menacingly.

The last thing he needed was another failed mission: Snoke would have his head on a plate.

"You are not in charge of anything," Darth Kai said, his demeanour changing instantly as he prepared to charge at his rival.

Kylo Ren's hand gripped the handle of his weapon.

Just as things were started to rapidly heat up, the noise of a ship falling from the skies towards them interrupted their argument. The Millenium Falcon had definitely sustained damage and seemed out of control, as it came down enveloped in smoke.

"Jedi on board," Darth Kai said, suddenly focused, lighting his saber.

Kylo Ren did not need to be told who was on that ship. He readied himself for the confrontation.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter IV**

It was one of those moments when it did not matter who or what you were, your fate would be just the same, Rey thought. As the Millenium Falcon came crashing down on Valeant after being attacked by the Finaliser, Poe and Jamie were working frantically to slow the ship down. Rey knew it had sustained serious damage – that they were literally on fire and there was little they could do at this stage other than hope for the best.

"Rey, put your seatbelt on. Seriously, this is bad." Jamie cried over the noise of the alarms.

She did not have to be told twice. It was her ship, after all. She put her head between her knees and tried to breathe calmly, praying to an invisible force that they would make it.

"There!" Poe suddenly cried. "We can try to land there!"

"Right near the TIE-fighters?" Jamie asked incredulously.

She heard a terrible noise as the ship lost something and she got up, pushing Jamie aside.

"Let me do this," she said. "At least if we destroy it, I'd like to assume responsibility for it."

Jamie smirked and unbuckled his seatbelt to make space for her. "By all means..." he said.

"Guys, this is not a good moment to do this!" Poe interjected. "Someone try to cool down the secondary engine please, or else we can say goodbye to each other right now."

Rey pushed the right lever and counted to five in her mind. It seemed to work. They considerably lost speed.

"They are right there," Jamie suddenly warned Rey. "Be ready!"

But Rey already knew that. As Poe managed to land the ship without irrecoverable damage, Rey saw three black clad figures near one of the TIE-fighters. They were preparing to depart. Her heart started to drum madly, as she felt Kylo Ren so closely through the Force. He did not seem particularly preoccupied by their presence. Instead, his attention was on the smaller silhouette at his side.

As the Falcon stopped, she was a little taken aback by Darth Kai's sudden attack on them- his lightsaber smashed through the cockpit window and almost slashed Poe's face, had it not been for Rey pulling him back just in time. She kicked at the broken window and jumped outside, locking her saber with Darth Kai's one moment later. He pounced on her wrathfully, his green lightsaber unrelenting, until Rey was almost pushed to the ground, fighting for her life.

"How did you know we were here, Padawan scum?" he spat, his anger flowing through him, as he kicked the lightsaber out of her hand.

Rey watched him, paralysed in fear. The Sith was on a completely different level than her and the anger seemed to fuel his power further. She closed her eyes as he raised his lightsaber, but nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, the young Sith was still towering over her, but his saber had been Force-blocked in the air, not far from her head. One moment later, Jamie's violet blade came crashing against the apprentice's.

"She's not alone," he said simply, and a moment later he fully engaged Darth Kai.

Rey breathed in relief, rolled back and recovered her sword. She glanced to her right and noticed that Poe had managed to get out of the ship. His right leg was slightly wounded from the crash.

Jamie and Darth Kai were duelling furiously, their swords clashing in rapid fire. Although they were more or less the same height, the Sith apprentice was more muscular and heavier than Jamie, who compensated with speed. Jamie seemed to dance around his opponent, guessing his next move and deflecting it easily. He seemed to have the situation under control. Rey got to her feet and her eyes wondered beyond them to the spot where her archenemy watched the scene in a detached manner, next to a woman wearing a dark blue silky cape, whose hood was hiding her face. She was rather dwarfed by the tall silhouette of Kylo Ren, who hovered protectively at her side. Rey felt a strange pang of fury as she watched him levitating the woman's bags into one of the ships and guiding her inside.

She decided to turn back to the matter at hand and pounced on the other Sith. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with. After a few minutes, Darth Kai started to tire and called: "Ren, a little help here if you will!"

Kylo Ren was already on the bridge leading into his vessel. He reluctantly turned around and came towards them at a steady pace, igniting his unstable, dangerous red sword.

 _Careful_ , she said to Jamie in her mind. But the Jedi knight had already Force pushed Darth Kai aside, distracting him, before he whirled on Kylo Ren and their lightsabers met in an avalanche of sparks. Rey attacked Ren as well, surprised to see that the other apprentice had turned off his lightsaber and was looking between them and the TIE-fighters.

Kylo Ren was much stronger and much less reckless than he had been when Rey had last confronted him. He was fast and strong, his speed matching Jamie's, although his attention seemed to be half-focused on the ship behind him where the woman had continued her way into the ship without waiting for them. _What could be so important_ , Rey asked herself as she attacked him again. She had not seen him in three years, she had almost killed him the last time they had met and he was acting as if she was not even there. His attitude somehow infuriated her.

"Go, stop her! She's getting away!" he suddenly cried to Darth Kai, who did not need to be told twice before he sprinted towards the TIE-fighter.

However, what he did was seemingly completely unexpected for Ren, because the other man went into the ship, the bridge sealing behind him and preparing to depart, leaving Ren behind to confront the Jedis.

 _Laters, I guess, Ren,_ he heard Darth Kai's mocking thoughts, before the TIE-fighter surged to the blue skies above.

Ren groaned in frustration. He knew he had to move fast. He would not allow the other apprentice to ruin the mission for him. He would be the one to return with the Princess, as he had been instructed.

His attention fully turned to the two Jedis in front of him, he engaged them brutally again, knowing he did not have much time at his disposal. He had a maximum of 10 minutes until Darth Kai reached the Finaliser, and then they would move into hyperspace and completely out of his reach. Using the anger he felt against the other apprentice, he Force-pushed Rey. She fell on her side, while he pounced on the more powerful Jedi. As their swords locked, Kylo Ren kicked Jamie in the stomach, then elbowed him fully in the face. All he needed was a few seconds. Jamie staggered back, amazed he had not seen that coming. It was enough for Kylo: he took advantage of that moment to lift Poe Dameron up into the air before brutally smashing him against the Falcon.

Poe's broken cry startled the two Jedis, who turned to see their friend losing consciousness, blood trickling sickly down his chin.

"Poe!" Rey screamed desperately.

Jamie felt through the Force that their friend was slowly down slipping down into certain death. He had to make a quick choice.

He briefly looked at Kylo Ren, but his expression was unreadable behind his mask. The moment that Jamie turned back and sprang towards Poe, Ren turned around and moved at full speed towards his cruiser. He had just a few minutes left.

Jamie crouched at Poe's side, pressing his fingers to his temple. The pilot still had a pulse. He started using the Force to stop his internal bleeding. Rey came to his side, her lightsaber still on. She was beside herself with anger. "Is he ok?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"I think he will be fine," Jamie said uncertainly, focused on his task.

"That bastard!" Rey exploded. "I will not let him get away this time!"

Before Jamie could react, she was running after Kylo Ren. She reached him just as he was climbing the deck of his ship. Her saber came crashing towards his back, but Kylo Ren used the Force to freeze her move in the air. Before she could fight him back, he turned to face her and snatched her lightsaber from her hand, and she felt a familiar sensation taking over her as her knees suddenly gave in and she fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

As soon as he set the ship on the fastest course to the Finaliser, Darth Kai activated the autopilot and left the cockpit to his co-pilot. He stomped to the back of the ship, where he found Princess Deanna speaking to her two handmaidens.

Ignoring the handmaidens' presence, he grabbed the Princess' arm and brutally slammed her against the metallic wall of the ship. She hissed in pain as her back came in contact with some levers. He hovered menacingly over her, his hands at either sides of her head.

"Lord Kai, you cannot do this!" Lady Coralia intervened, trying to grab one of his arms, but Darth Kai Force-repelled her before she could touch him, without moving even a finger.

"Leave us!" Deanna ordered, staring unflinchingly into Darth Kai's angry eyes.

"You will not ever try to disobey me again!" he hissed through gritted teeth. "Your father ordered me to bring you to him. How dare you try to run away with my ship?"

He could not read any fear off her and that was increasingly unsettling. It was as if she had no feelings at all, as if he was staring into the void.

"First," she said calmly, "You cannot give me any orders. And even if you could, there is nothing you could do about it if I disobeyed you."

His hand tightened around her neck as his eyes bore into hers. Still, there was no reaction from her. She did not even attempt to stop him from cutting the air flow to her lungs. She seemed rather amused.

After a few moments he grew frustrated and released her, his hand tracing her collarbone to her shoulder instead.

"You don't want to make me your enemy, trust me, milady," he said in a low voice, his face dangerously close to hers and his long golden curls briefly caressing her cheek. "You are so beautiful...much like an angel. Wouldn't it be a pity if something happened to you?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, his blue eyes losing their terrifying glare and looking suddenly playfully seductive.

Deanna's lips curled up in a wry grin that irritated him more than anything.

"We're here, Sir," the co-pilot called from the cockpit.

Darth Kai removed his impressive silhouette from the Princess' path.

"Let this be the last time we had this discussion," he said.

She did not answer, following his retreating back with the same ironic look plastered on her face.

They arrived at the Capital planet two days later and landed close to the Supreme Leader's private lodgings. It was beneath his private palace that Snoke had a special room built for quietly training his apprentices.

It was to this room, to Darth Kai's surprise, Snoke ordered him to bring Deanna.

As he escorted her, he tried to discern her mood, to figure out whether or not she was nervous. He was nervous, every time he had to see Snoke. The Supreme Leader always found a reason to bully him. But again, he found nothing in Deanna's attitude. She was wearing a more conservative dress this time, still blue, which showed much less cleavage.

They reached the large metal doors and stepped inside the dark room, illuminated as usual by just a few candles.

Darth Kai felt his master's dark presence in the back of the room.

"My daughter," his cold, cavernous voice rang through the room, and Darth Kai bowed as Snoke came before them, his small, reptilian eyes quickly sweeping over Deanna and then over his apprentice.

He felt his master was surprised to see him alive and unharmed, and the discovery further unsettled him.

Snoke closed the distance between him and Deanna, and he sized her up with an almost hungry stare. His spidery fingers touched the underside of her chin, almost fascinated.

"It is really you, Princess. It's been a while."

Darth Kai felt a wave of uneasiness washing over him. The way his master was looking at his own daughter was downright creepy.

Deanna suddenly turned her head and stared at him, as if she could have read his thoughts.

On cue, Snoke also turned to Darth Kai. "Well done, my young apprentice. Now leave us."

Darth Kai left the room, but remained hovering by the door by the door uncertainly.

For a short moment, the two Sith faced each other silently before Deanna ordered coldly: "Remove your filthy fingers from my face and restrain from touching me ever again, old man."

Darth Plagueis smiled a dreadful smile but complied, letting his hand fall to his side. He had expected even worse from her.

"Why am I alive?" she questioned, looking around.

"I saved you. I mended you, brought you back to life," he said.

"That much is obvious," she said, looking at him with disgust. "The question is what you want from me now."

"I would have expected more gratitude from you," he said, a mock-hurt expression crossing his face.

"I have no place here," she said. "The dead should stay among the dead. Including you."

"Oh, that's rich, coming from you, temptress," he smiled spitefully. "I remember that fateful night as if it was yesterday. How you seduced me. How you restrained me while your father struck me down with his lightsaber. He would have never succeeded if it wasn't for you. I let my guard down."

A chill went down on her spine, but she pushed back her disgust. Lord Plagueis circled her, feeling her discomfort.

"Still, you brought me back to life," she said, as he stopped in front of her once more, his small eyes filled with lust. "Where do I fit in your plan?"

"I must once more bring balance to the Force. I have to succeed where your father failed."

"I don't follow."

"There has been an awakening that led to the destruction of the Empire. Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader's son, is building a new Jedi Order. They must be destroyed before they gain power."

She made a dismissal gesture with her hand. "So why won't you destroy them, then? You have two apprentices already."

"The Force is strong with Skywalker. He's the strongest Jedi I have met. I am too weak for a direct physical confrontation. I need you to eliminate them, together with my apprentices, when the time comes."

Deanna laughed. "Why would I help you?"

"If you do not, I will have the First Order hunt you down to the Outer Rim and beyond if they have to. No matter how many you will kill, I will send more for you. You will not be able to hide from me."

Deanna scowled and suddenly Snoke flew against the nearest wall. She had him pinned there and he struggled in vain to liberate himself. "You cannot deny what you are forever, Princess. Always in the shadows you have stayed. Such a waste, for you are Sith royalty, two generations stronger than I am," he managed to say through gritted teeth.

"Then tell me what prevents me from killing you once more and taking control of the First Order. It is after all, my father's legacy," she said, drawing close to him and watching him squirm.

Darth Plagueis felt he was growing weaker. "By all means, DO kill me and assume leadership. It is the way of the Sith. But you will not succeed on your own. You will have to start from scratch, and all that I have built during this time will be lost," he rasped.

Deanna suddenly released him, considering his point. The old man fell to the ground and caught his breath. He seemed to be getting a strange kick from being overpowered so easily.

"Don't you want revenge for the death of the man you so loved?" he cooed, coming close to her once again.

"What do you know about that?" she asked sharply.

"Oh, I know. I know who you rushed to meet that very evening when your ship was attacked. And I know who killed him. Don't you want to find out as well?"

He fished a small crystal from the pocket of his robes and handed it to her. "It's all here. Come back after you see this and let me know if you still don't want to play any part in my plans."

Deanna eyed him sceptically, but took the crystal nonetheless.

"I have arranged proper accommodations for my daughter. Let's keep up appearances."

"You disgust me," she said, as she put the crystal in her pocket and turned on her heel.

She found Darth Kai by the doors. His expression told her that he had listened to their conversation. He accompanied her in stubborn silence to her quarters.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter V**

Rey stirred and came slowly to her senses. Somewhere in front of her, she could hear someone cursing loudly, and she realised she was lying on the hard, metallic floor of a ship. She stood shakily, and noticed Kylo Ren's tall figure in front of the control panel, his red lightsaber in his right hand.

"Son of a bitch!" he cursed again, his anger making objects around quiver precariously. Rey eyed his saber with apprehension. She was not entirely sure what was going on, but they were off in space by the looks of it, and the sight of him throwing a fit of anger was frightening, especially if he planned to destroy the ship. Before she knew what she was doing, she swiftly threw herself at him, trying to disarm him. Kylo Ren did not look surprised at all, as he easily stepped back and grabbed her hands instead, immobilising her for a moment, before he Force-pushed her back.

Rey stumbled back and gave him an ugly look.

"Put your lightsaber away," she shouted, "or you are going to get both of us killed!"

Ren watched her in silence for a few moments. She had no idea what was happening behind that dreadful mask he wore and she hated it.

"What do you think I'm doing, Rey?" he asked in the end. He switched off his lightsaber and attached it back to his armoured belt.

For a moment, she thought her mind was playing tricks on her.

"You were dangerously close to the control panel...with that thing in your hand and... you were angry."

Kylo Ren scoffed and turned back the control panel.

"It was not like I was planning to commit suicide," he said calmly, looking outside to the myriad of stars. He'd been close though. He had not been so furious in a long time. Last time it had happened, he had almost lost his life. And of course, out of all people, _she_ had to be there again.

"I've been betrayed. Darth Kai left me here and stole my ship," he spat, still looking outside, as if he hoped that the Finalizer would materialise somewhere before them.

"Well, I can't say I miss him. He almost killed me. So his name is Kai," Rey said, massaging her sore wrists where he had grabbed her before. His strength had become inhuman, she thought.

"That's not the bad news," Kylo Ren said dryly. "The bad news is that we ran out of fuel. We cannot make it back to Valeant. These types of ships are not made to travel on their own for long."

"You mean to tell me that we are stuck here in this little ship?" Rey asked, panic starting to well up inside her.

She came closer to him and looked at the panel. "Shit! The life support system will go down within a day or two maximum. We need to get out of here."

She looked at Kylo Ren and he stared back. She could hear his quiet breathing behind his helmet.

"Do you have to wear that thing?" she asked.

He ignored her. Rey decided to ignore him as well.

"Computer, what is the closest life-supporting planet?" Rey asked.

"Dagobah, Dagobah system," the computer replied.

"Can we make it there?"

"Negative," the computer said. "Insufficient fuel."

"Can we at least get into the atmosphere?" she asked.

There was a short pause, than the computer said: "Affirmative, but the chances of survival once in the atmosphere are 1 to 100."

"Never tell me the odds," Kylo Ren suddenly said, and sat down instantly in the pilot's seat, activating several controls. Rey sat beside him, shock plastered all over the face at hearing him say something she had heard Han Solo say a couple of times before.

"Engage for Dagobah," she ordered the computer immediately.

"Get the parachutes ready," he yelled and Rey hurried to do as she was told. She knew what he had in mind.

The ship was already on a course to Dagobah at full speed when Rey returned and took a moment to fasten her own parachute cords around her, before sliding the other over Kylo Ren's head and fastening it snugly around his torso.

"Sit down," he said, focused on the computer screen. "We're almost there."

Rey knew this already, because the ship had started to quiver as it entered the thick atmosphere of the planet.

He pulled a lever to slow down, but they were quickly running out of fuel. They could now see the surface of the planet more clearly. When the fuel emptied, the ship started to fall at top speed, and it took just a few moments before its exterior caught fire.

Rey prayed inwardly for a few more minutes before it became too dangerous for them to remain inside the ship. She did not realise she was gripping Kylo Ren's arm.

She felt him look at her. "It's time," he said the voice modulated by his helmet, above the wracking noise. She nodded and let go of his arm. He pressed a small red button on the control panel and suddenly they were thrust outside. The air was hardly breathable, and Rey got dizzy and did her best to stay awake. She saw Kylo Ren to her left, his gaze and body focused on the planet's surface now about a thousand meters below them. Somewhere below them they saw the ship exploding into little metal pieces and dissipating.

The air was becoming a little bit better and her thoughts cleared slowly. As they approached the surface, he opened the parachute and she did the same. It would be a rough landing, by the looks of it, the surface looked foggy and dominated by forests.

She saw him using his lightsaber to slash through the tree branches as he landed. He made it unharmed, as she collided with a tree and desperately wrapped her arms around it for support. She released herself from the parachute and jumped down.

The two of them stared at each other in relief. Or at least she assumed that was relief behind the mask. He switched off his lightsaber.

Rey suddenly became aware of the heat and the damp air around them. It was overwhelming. It was worse than Jakku. She looked around. It was a bloody jungle. But there was something strangely familiar about the place, and she could not just put her finger on it. It was strange though. She did not remember being on any other planet except Jakku.

"We should get going. The sun will set soon. We need to find shelter," Kylo Ren suddenly said and started walking towards the North, using his lightsaber to create a path.

As she walked behind him, she became aware of two things. One was that something was off about him. He had not attempted to kill her or harm her in any way. The second was that he seemed a lot more assertive than the last time she had met him, but in a reasonable kind of way, which prompted her to follow rather than oppose him.

She really did not know what to make of him, just as she did not know how he could survive in that armoured suit and helmet. She took off her white coat, which was now quite dirty, and she hoped that the heat would dissipate with the night.

After a couple hours of hours of marching in silence, Rey felt she was starting to tire.

"Ben," she called after him, without realising she was using his given name. It was the name that Luke always used when he talked about his nephew. He had never once employed the name of Kylo Ren. "Do you even know..." She stopped abruptly as he was suddenly in her face, his dangerous red saber at her throat.

"Don't you ever use that name again," he told her menacingly.

Rey gulped. She really hated that unstable saber, especially that close to her face.

"Fine," she said, eyeing him carefully. "Is it that bad?" she asked.

He was silent for a moment. "What?"

"Your face. The scar..."

She heard him laughing, and the helmet strangely distorted the sound.

"You want to see?" he asked and she just looked at him not sure how to respond, her heartbeat quickening for no apparent reason.

In reality, she had been wondering often about what had happened to him after that fateful day at the StarKiller base. She had known he was not dead and had kept wondering what had happened to him. Had Snoke abandoned him? Had he completed his training instead? Where was he?

It had felt very good defeating him that day. He had been so arrogant during their previous meetings. He had treated her as if she was a lowly creature. And worst of all, she had witnessed him kill the only person who had been kind to her in the longest time. He had killed Han Solo. She had no idea what had happened between father and son, why Ben...no, Kylo Ren, hated his own father so much.

Ren brought his hands to the sides of his helmet and unclasped it. When he revealed his face again to Rey she forgot to breathe for a moment.

There was nothing. No gruesome scar on his face. Just above his brow where her lightsaber had first struck, there was a very small surface where his flawless skin had been permanently marred. It was barely noticeable.

But that was not what shocked Rey the most. Something had certainly changed about him, and his face reflected it fully. He was somehow even more handsome than before, but that hesitant, boyish air he had about him the first time they had met was gone. His dark eyes were cold and his features were sharper. As his lips curled up in an arrogant smile, she was suddenly relieved that they looked as sensual as before. She pushed away the thought – what did that have to do with her?

"We have good medical droids, you know. Did you think I would want to keep a scar as a souvenir from you?" he asked tensely.

"I didn't say that," she snapped, taking a step back.

He put his helmet back on and his voice came out once more modulated: "What did you want to say earlier?" he asked.

"Do you know where we are going? I'm getting tired."

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do."

"What? You know this place?" she asked in disbelief.

He answered with another question: "Don't you?"

She watched in confusion as he walked on.

It took another hour until they reached a less foggy area and then she saw it, a large cave. Just on cue, it began to rain.

"Get some wood," Kylo Ren barked at her and he entered the cave, his lightsaber in his hand.

She gathered enough for a fire and returned. She did not want to wander around. It was getting colder and she put her jacket back on. The place gave her the creeps. Not to mention that out of all the people in the galaxy, she had to be alone here with Kylo Ren.

She gasped when she saw him levitating a huge creature he seemed to have slaughtered out of the cave.

"It was either him or us sleeping in there tonight," he said. "By the way, their meat is delicious, in case you are hungry." He dropped the animal unceremoniously at her feet, and Rey stepped back in disgust. He grabbed the tree branches and headed back into the cave.

A few moments later, she realised he had started a fire. She did not want to be anywhere around him so she stayed outside for a while wondering what to do. The animal at her feet and the dropping temperature did not help.

She decided to enter the cave.

Kylo Ren sat close to the fire, leaning against the cave wall.

"Finally," he said. "I told you before not to be afraid, didn't I?"

 _And then he tried to kill you_ , a thought crossed her mind. Kylo Ren pulled his helmet off and set it next to him. He looked amused. "I did not want to kill you. If I really wanted to kill you wouldn't be here now," he said matter-of-factly.

Rey realised she had let her mental guard down.

He got up. "Stay here, I'll fetch water."

"I'll come as well," she said. She had heard a stream around earlier.

They walked in silence until they found it. It was not only a stream, it was a waterfall, pooling down into a small lake surrounded by vegetation. It was rather beautiful. Rey's mood changed. She ran to the waterfall, drank from it and washed her face.

He took off what was left of his cape and his tunic, and dropped them to the ground in a pile. To Rey's surprise, he was almost as sturdy without them. That explained how he had overpowered her so easily before. That had not been the case three years ago. What training had he followed during that time?

He unbuttoned his black shirt, and it was only then it dawned on Rey that he was planning to get into the water. He threw her a glance as he pulled off his boots, and was amused again to see her staring unabashedly at his half naked form.

Their eyes met briefly and Rey flushed and turned around, feeling extremely flustered. She walked back to the cave, cursing her stupidity. It must have been living by herself on Jakku all these years. It was not like she had met handsome men every day living in the desert. It had nothing to do with him personally. So what if she had found herself instantly drawn to him the first time he had removed his helmet in that interrogation room on StarKiller base? She had never seen someone like him before. It was normal. But since then, she had seen other beautiful people, so she did not have to act so stupid around him anymore. Was not Jamie Kenobi gorgeous? He was as beautiful as light itself. However, she had never felt that draw to him. It really made no sense how she felt about Kylo Ren. Angry with herself, Rey entered the cave and sat by the fire.

By the time he returned, she was sleeping soundly. He sat next to her and put down some fruit he had found on his way back. They were too tired to be hungry now, but they would be in the morning. He watched Rey sleep, and his expression hardened. Why did she have to cross paths with him yet again? She was like a curse that followed him. He would have to tell her the truth at some point, and he had to take her to Snoke. Let Snoke decide her fate.

He laid down beside her, suddenly feeling very tired. He would figure everything out in the morning. For now, he just needed sleep.

* * *

 _Rey was a young girl again. She was running through the thick jungle, eager to reach the hidden place where she knew they met often to train or talk._

 _She knew he did not like her spying on him and his friends, but she could not help it. Whatever he was doing was always much more interesting than master Luke's preaching. She had once more snuck out in the middle of their afternoon lecture._

 _She reached the clearing where they sat in a circle. Rey hid behind a bush, her attention transfixed on one of the teenagers who was speaking and commanding the attention of his peers as well. He had shoulder-long curly black hair, and unlike the others, was dressed in padawan clothes. She could not hear what they were talking about, and it was frustrating. Rey wanted to hear and drew closer, until the young man looked over his shoulder and spotted her._

" _We have to stop here today. We have company," Ben Solo said loudly and stood. He was already impressively tall at sixteen._

 _As the others dispersed, he started walking briskly in her direction. Rey tried to run away, but just after a few meters, he snatched her off her feet and threw her in the air above him. Rey yelped._

" _Caught you, little devil!" he said as he caught her in his arms and Rey cried out in pleasure, locking his arms around his neck._

 _Ben draped her safely across his shoulders and started walking._

" _Let's go home, little devil," he said softly, and Rey laughed, her fingers playing with his hair._

 _The image dissolved, and Rey was left alone on Jakku, crying, looking after the ship._

" _Ben!" she yelled. "Come back!"_

" _Shut up you foolish girl!" someone said and Rey cried more and more._

Rey's eyes snapped open and for a moment she looked unseeingly at the cave wall. Her head was resting on some kind of a hard pillow, and she realised with some perplexity she was sprawled across Kylo Ren's chest. Somehow during the night he had pulled her close, his arm around her waist, and what remained of his warm cape was draped over them.

She looked up at him, and her heart sank. She knew that the dream had been real. She did not know what had prompted it: maybe this place, which was so similar to the one in her dream, but she knew it was her own memories. Ben Solo was part of her past. Rey swallowed looking at his peaceful face while he slept. Could it be that he was her older brother? Her stomach clenched with the horror of Han Solo's death, and she prayed that this nightmare could not be real. Leia or Luke would have told her by now, right? Why would they hide something like this from her?

Her eyes darted to his side, where he had put the two lightsabers, and she wondered what stopped her from killing him and running away until she found some human shelter on this planet. There had to be one.

However, she did not want to hurt him, any more than she wanted him to be her brother. Both thoughts made her nauseous.

She detached herself from his warm body with some regret and walked outside. The sun was already up. They must have slept for a long while. She went to the stream and bathed, trying not to think about anything. _Why hadn't he told her the truth either_? She wondered, as she put her clothes on before she sat down to eat some fruit and look at the waterfall.

Soon, she heard footsteps behind her.

"Why did you sneak out like that?" he snapped.

"Don't tell me you were worried," she mocked him.

He did not answer and instead stared at the waterfall.

"Why did you leave me on Jakku, Ben?" she suddenly burst out angrily.

If he was surprised, he did not show it.

"I knew coming to Dagobah was a bad idea," he sighed.

"You still haven't answered my question," Rey seethed.

Kylo Ren hesitated, then sat down next to her.

"It was to protect you."

She threw him a questioning look, and he continued: "Snoke would have found out eventually about you...that I spared your life that night. I did not want to put you in danger. On Jakku you had been safe. Until that damn droid found you."

"You've known all this time..." she said, almost chocking on the words. "Who I am..."

Her hands were trembling. "Are you...are we...am I your younger sister?" she asked.

A shadow passed over his face and his brow furrowed. "You are _like_ my little sister, Rey," he said softly.

"What does that even mean?" she asked, frustrated.

"It means what I told you before. That you should not be afraid."

Rey jumped to her feet. "I want to know," she said, almost like an order. "I want to know what happened before Jakku. You did something to me. When you left me there, you did something, so I can't remember."

He bit his lip hard, and looked up at her. "Yes, I made a blockage inside your mind. So you wouldn't remember anything from before the day I left you on Jakku."

Rey bowed down, until they were face to face.

"I want to know everything."

He sighed and pondered for a moment. "I suppose it doesn't make any difference now," he said, reaching for her and a split second later Rey felt as if she was falling through a dream.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter VI**

Rey sat down at the entrance of the cave, her head resting against her knees, trying to breathe, to meditate, to calm her raging spirit the way Luke had taught her many times. She failed miserably.

Now that she had finally recovered her childhood memories, she felt more confused than ever. She had thought that recovering all of the missing pieces would help her put her life in order. She had thought she had a family she had been separated from, but there was no family that could come back for her. She had been only two years old when Luke had found her – a little force-sensitive girl - almost dying of thirst and hunger in the middle of the desert, on Jakku. She'd been abandoned. Luke himself had no idea who her real parents were. He had brought her back to the Jedi temple and had treated her like his own daughter ever since.

Why had Luke not told her the truth about her past?

Now she knew. He did not want her to know about Ben Solo. About how much Rey had always cared for him, how she had always followed him around. He'd been her sun, really. There had been no one else for Rey when she was little. But her loyalty made sense. He had been so kind to her, treating her as if she really was his little sister. Making her laugh, playing with her, training her, mending her wounds. No one had made Rey so happy in her life. On that fateful night when his knights of Ren had destroyed the temple and killed everyone else, Ben had spared her life. He had even killed one of his friends to save her.

Luke was completely right, though. She shouldn't have remembered all of that, she should not have remembered Ben Solo. It was all wrong, the feelings that came back to her, those feelings that she could not deny.

She stifled the need to cry and rocked herself back and forth to calm down. Kylo Ren was no longer the teenage Ben she remembered. He was a cruel assassin, led by the Dark Side. But no matter how many times she repeated this mantra, it did not help.

She felt him coming back from the stream. He had given her some privacy after he had released her memories. He had known she would not be happy.

Kylo Ren stopped a few steps away from her and watched her in silence for a moment. Seeing her so vulnerable made him want to protect her. That feeling made him feel weak, and he hated himself for it.

"Since when... when did you realize it was me?" she asked shakily.

"I guess I knew it was you since the moment I was told that a girl from Jakku was ruining the First Order's plans," he smirked. "But I was completely sure only after my grandfather's saber chose you instead of me. You were worthy and I wasn't. You're Luke's pet padawan. It was meant to be yours one day."

"He gave it to me in the end," she said, pointing towards his belt, where her saber hung.

He retrieved it and activated it, looking wistfully at the blue light. "I always thought it was beautiful," he said. He threw it to her. "You can have it, Rey. If you wanted to kill me, you would have tried to do it last night."

She caught it, a little relieved, but avoided looking at him. She was afraid he would read her thoughts.

He sat next to her, watching her in silence.

"You're trembling," he noted. "Do you feel sick?"

She did not reply, resting her head against her knees.

Kylo Ren sighed. He wished he could hide behind his mask right now, but he had left it in the cave. Instead he looked at Rey, and felt his heart sink with her pain. He could feel her suffering through the Force. It drained him, too.

"Rey, listen to me," he said quietly. "The past is the past. You cannot hang on to the past. I've thrown mine away. You have to do the same. It will always pull you back like a curse if you don't."

She suddenly started to sob and cry spasmodically, and it was too much, far more than he could handle.

He had struggled for years with his past, trying to forget what he had been before becoming Kylo Ren. One of the most difficult things to forget had been little Rey's cries when he'd left her behind on Jakku. That image of her, crying, restrained by one of the water dealers on Jakku as he walked back to the ship ,had haunted him for years.

"Rey, stop it," he ordered, but she continued crying, growing more hysterical by the moment. She did not know what she was crying for most: her crushed hopes of retrieving her family, her confusing feelings towards him, the whole surreal situation she found herself in...

Kylo Ren suddenly leaned towards her, cradling her in his arms, and pulling her against him. He stroked her hair softly, ruining her buns, his voice quiet in her ear: "Rey, things don't have to be that bad. Luke will be there for you. He's always been there for you. You were such a strong girl back then. You'll be strong again. I _know_ that."

She buried her face in his chest, her tears still streaming down her face, soaking the front of his shirt. They stayed like that for a while, Kylo Ren simply waiting.

After a few minutes, she started to calm down. She raised her gaze to his face, looking into his familiar dark eyes. Kylo Ren wiped a tear off her face with his gloved finger and she saw nothing but worry in those eyes. She could not help but stare at him, fascinated, vulnerable.

It was too much. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. He did not really know what came over him. His feelings for Rey had always been pure.

But Rey's reaction to the soft kiss was even more unexpected. Her arms slipped around his neck and she pulled him closer, locking their lips together, kissing him fervently. She had never kissed anyone before, he could tell, but her passion made up for her inexperience. For a moment, he was taken by the same odd feeling he could not quite comprehend, and he deepened the kiss, unable to think about anything else than the pleasure he felt. When they finally broke for air, his mind cleared momentarily and he pulled away from her, feeling Rey's confused glare on him.

"Rey, this cannot be," he said, as coldly as he could, and got to his feet before his resolve could crumble like a sandcastle.

She sighed shakily and also stood. He took a few steps away and turned to look at her again, racking a hand through his hair.

"Do you have a tracking device on you?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"If you do, your friends from the Resistance will come looking for you soon. I need to get off this planet."

He looked at her, his eyes scorching. "I'll be honest with you. I do not wish to harm you, but I will fulfil my grandfather's legacy at all costs. Nothing will stand in my way, not Luke, and not even you. I beg of you, go back to Jakku or any other planet where you feel safe. Let's not cross paths again."

Rey scoffed: "You want me to hide like a coward? Do you know how much the Resistance needs me? I'm to become a Jedi and protect them."

He closed the distance and grabbed her shoulders, his dark eyes boring into hers: "Rey, I'm asking you: do not complete your training. Stay out of this. I will bring peace and prosperity to the Galaxy."

"You have so far brought nothing but grief and destruction to the Galaxy!" she seethed.

"I will do well. I will finish what Darth Vader started," he insisted, looking mad at her lack of faith in his words.

"I'm not that little girl anymore, Ben!" she cried. "You can't tell me what to do."

"Stop using that name!" he said angrily, squeezing her shoulders roughly in his hands.

She winced in pain but stood her ground. "I will follow my own destiny," she said.

"I offered to train you when we last met," he said, a little more appeased. "If you really want to know the Force, come with me and we can fulfil Vader's dream together."

He felt Rey stiffening under his touch and she looked away. He felt it then, her temptation. It was almost palpable. "Your Jedi training is stalling..." he said. "You are not progressing as you had hoped. I can feel your frustration."

Rey looked at him miserably, her eyes still rimmed with red from her crying. She shook her head.

"Never," she said, her hand clasping on the hilt of her lightsaber. "I'll never join _you_."

"Look at you, Rey, you're so angry. Do you really think you made progress? Show me then!" he mocked her, igniting his red lightsaber and swirling it once, waiting for her to attack.

She did not need to be told twice. She charged at him, furious. Her anger and frustration at the whole situation was making her blood boil. Kylo Ren remained on the defence for the first few moves, deflecting her strikes easily. As the duel grew in intensity, he attacked Rey enough to throw her off balance, then force pushed her, her back violently colliding with a tree. She fell down, spitting blood as she reached for her saber again, but he kicked it out of her hand, and brought his saber close, only a few centimetres away from her face.

"You call that _progress_?" he asked.

She looked up at his scowling face. "Why don't you kill me right now, Ben? Do it!" she spat defiantly.

For a split second he looked stunned. Rey enjoyed the lost look on his face. "Do it, Ben!" she said again.

He switched off his lightsaber. "Go back to Jakku and stay out of my business, Rey. This is my final warning," he replied. He extended his hand towards the cave, and a moment later he was holding his helmet. He briskly walked away.

They walked in obstinate silence the whole day. When darkness took over, they found shelter by another stream, near an old tree.

Rey had been sleeping for a couple of hours when it happened.

She suddenly opened her eyes and looked across the meadow to where Kylo Ren had been sleeping, but he was already on his feet, holding his lightsaber.

It was suffocating, really. She thought it had to be an awakening – she had witnessed a few among the Jedi, but this was different. The pain and the anger were simply suffocating. The subtle _fear_ was tugging at her very heart.

She forgot her adversity towards Kylo Ren for the moment and came closer to him.

"What is happening?" she asked.

He looked very worried, but switched off his saber.

"It's not _here_."

"It's so strong. Is it an awakening?"

"I don't know," he said, but she could tell he was lying.

"So much pain and fear..." she muttered, fascinated, closing her eyes.

"Go back to sleep," he said and sat down again. In fact, he was very worried. There could be only one person at the origin of this wave of anger. The dark presence was overwhelming. For the first time he wondered whether Darth Kai had been right. Snoke would eventually get rid of both of them, if Kylo Ren did not kill him first. He had to go back to the Capital planet as soon as possible.

* * *

Jamie walked with Luke from the landing track. He had just returned from one of the Resistance bases where he had left Poe Dameron. Two days had passed since the incident on Valeant, and the pilot was much better. They had been close to losing him.

Luke had rushed to meet him when he landed. They had spoken before and Luke was aware of what had happened on Valeant, but he still had questions bothering him about the incident.

"I'm sorry, master," Jamie said. "I failed the mission and lost Rey."

Luke snorted. "It's not your fault, Jamie. You made the right choice to save Poe."

"I did not imagine she would run after him. It took me by surprise that she would take such a risk."

"I don't feel like she is in any danger," Luke said. "You said he did not hurt her."

"No, he incapacitated her and then took off. He was in a hurry to catch the other Sith apprentice. I am not sure what that was all about, but they seemed to be on some sort of mission. They were accompanied by a female whose face I could not see. She did not seem Force-sensitive, but there was something odd about her that I can't quite pinpoint."

"Would it be possible that Snoke is dead? It is weird that there are three of them. This defies the laws of the Sith."

"I don't think so, master. By the way, the other apprentice disrespected Kylo Ren, it is clear Kylo Ren is not his master. Snoke is still out there, somewhere."

"This is worrisome. Just like what happened last night."

"Yes, I felt it too," Jamie said, turning to face his master. "Shall we investigate this?"

"The Dark Side will show its face soon enough," Luke said. "There is no need for that."

"What about Rey?" Jamie asked, his piercing blue eyes watching Luke with concern.

Luke sighed. Somehow he was not surprised about what had happened. Fitting of Rey to run after Ben Solo the way she'd always had when she was little. He would have liked to understand the mysterious ways in which the Force worked at times.

"Locate her and bring her back. We don't know what Ben is planning. It could be that he's thinking about taking her to Snoke. We cannot allow that."

Jamie nodded. "Master, is there something about Rey and Kylo Ren that I should know?"

"They used to be close, and always shared a special connection," Luke said dismissively. "I just hope Ben will not sway her to the Dark Side."

"Do you think he could do that?"

"He's always had more influence on her than me. But she's a grown up now. Bring her home, Jamie."

"Will do, master."

Luke took a few steps away then turned around.

"When you come back you will need to accompany me to the Capital planet. The Prince of Hasterian has asked me to see him."

"The new candidate for the Chancellor post?" Jamie asked, a little surprised. "Do you know what for, master?"

"He told me in the greatest confidence that he has received several death threats since he made his candidature public. The worst is that his daughter's life was recently in danger. Someone wants him to step away from this political race. We need to figure out what is going on. I will wait for you and Rey on the Capital planet."

Jamie Kenobi bowed to his master.

"Oh, and Jamie," Luke added, amused. "Since you are now officially a Jedi knight, you may want to get rid of your padawan tresses and outfit."

Jamie smiled and shrugged. "As you wish, master. But it will have to wait for after the mission."

Luke waved without turning back.

Jamie walked over to another X-wing and activated the control panel and Rey's tracking device.

"R2D2, let's bring Rey home."

The droid whistled happily behind him as the X-wing rose into the air.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VII**

Darth Kai paced furiously in his room, without even trying to stifle the overwhelming anxiousness that he felt any longer. The feeling had started about an hour before, and it did not give any sign that it would stop anytime soon. At some point during the night, the dark presence had suddenly manifested with such fury that it had become impossible for him to focus on anything else, let alone get any sleep.

Kai finally decided to go to Darth Plagueis' apartments and ask to see his master. He knew the Supreme Leader barely slept in general. He found him reading a book, undisturbed.

"Darth Kai," Darth Plagueis had acknowledged his presence by the door, raising his eyes from the ancient volume he was reading. "What brings you here at this hour in the night?"

Now that he had learned his master's true identity, Darth Kai's respect for him had grown even further, if that were possible.

"Master, this is not good. We should stop her. The Jedi will know."

"Let them know and let them fear, my young apprentice," Darth Plagueis said, returning to reading the volume.

"But Master, we are at risk as well...I don't like it."

"Don't pay any mind to it and go back to sleep. This falls perfectly into my plans."

Kai paced in front of the door looking at his master undecidedly. Darth Plagueis looked at him over the book and sighed. "Fine, if you think you can calm her down, be my guest. I also plan to get some sleep at some point, and it will be impossible if this continues."

"Yes, master," Darth Kai said, quite unsure about what to do. He had been hoping that Plagueis had a solution to the mess.

He headed down the stairs to the underground area where the Princess and he himself had their apartments and stopped in front of the large door ornate doors. He gave a long sigh before he ignited his lightsaber for his own protection and pushed the doors open.

He was happy to have taken the precaution, because instantly the force field she had created crashed into his blade. His hand quivered with the force of it. So she was on that level, he thought, looking around at the destroyed living room. There was nothing in here which was still intact, many things were burning, including the lavish curtains and some pieces of furniture, and the walls were blackened from force fields she had thrown around in her fit of rage. Who could afford using the Force like this, he wondered. A couple of times under Darth Plagueis' careful supervision, he had produced this kind of lightning: but force fields were so particularly draining and dangerous to the user. It was not something that even the most powerful Sith lords employed regularly. Darth Plagueis had warned him about abusing his power.

"Why not use your lightsaber if you really wanted to make this mess?" he asked carefully once he spotted her in a corner of the room, where she was watching him with hateful, furious eyes. By the looks of it, her anger was far from quenched.

"I don't have a kriffin saber," she replied, her voice hoarse, and he wondered if she had been crying. Yes, those were definitely wet traces on her angelic face.

He carefully closed the distance between them, wondering when she would strike.

"Would you like me to?" she asked, her lips drawing up into a cruel smile.

"Actually no, I have a better idea. All this chaos you created does not seem to help you, but I know something that will."

She eyed him sceptically.

"Come," he said, and walked out.

Deanna looked around at the room in shambles and willed her body and mind to regain some of its composure. She'd known from the beginning that Darth Plagueis had given her a poisonous gift. She had hesitated for a long time that evening before deciding to view the contents of the crystal. She had known already what she would see, but it had affected her more than she had been prepared for. Watching the fight between the two Jedi and Darth Maul had been too much, knowing the outcome. To her surprise, it had not been Qui-Gon Jin who had slain Darth Maul, it had been the insignificant padawan. She knew the poison that Darth Plagueis was trying to pour into her soul, but she would not have prevented it even if she could. The pain she felt while watching the only man she'd been enamoured with being killed was overwhelming. She felt so meaningless and helpless, despite her limitless power. There was nothing she could do to help him. She had cried bitterly, letting her anger through.

It was something that Lord Sidious had always taught her not to do. Anger, pain, suffering, fear were for the weak with the Dark Side, not for its true masters. Her true self could never be revealed. That's what he had taught her. That's what he'd always done, until he had reached the peak of his power and no one had seen it coming, not even the Jedi despite all the events happening under their noses.

She had learned restraint better than her own father.

But this evening, everything had come crashing down on her. She was truly alone. Her father was gone, Darth Maul was gone and she was here, caged in the plans of that fossil which should have stayed in the land of the dead. "Father, where are you?" she had cried. "Please help me, father!" she had cried, in a fit of rage, feeling desperation crawling up her very soul. Her world was completely upside down.

But there was no answer. Sith lords had never found a way to come back from the land of the dead. She was truly alone.

That's when she had become truly unhinged, using her energy to destroy everything in her path and not caring much whether or not her enemies would become aware of her. After all, neither here nor anywhere else in this upside turned world had she any allies or friends. She had felt the agonizing need to go out and slay anyone who would cross her path at that hour.

Sometime along the destructive path she laid in her anger someone reached out to her through the Force. It was far away, vague and feeble, but it was there. Someone had sympathised with her. Deanna had halted and calmed her breath, a little taken aback by the discovery. It was at that moment that she had felt Darth Kai's presence outside the door.

She followed the young man through the dark corridors until they reached the landing track, where a few speeders were lined up.

He turned to her, a challenging look in his eyes. "Let's play a game, Princess," he said.

She watched him silently. He gestured to the city: "Choose a speeder. Whoever makes it first to the Galactic tower wins."

"That does not sound like too much of a challenge to me," she said.

"There's a trick to it," he added closing the distance between them. "Both we'll give up our eyesight temporarily. You'll only have the Force to guide you. I find that whenever I do this, it is a great distraction from everything else."

She saw his purpose now and let him press his fingers to her temple, let him use the Force to temporarily blind her, and did the same to him.

"There is another catch to it," he said jumping in his speeder of choice and feeling her through the Force do the same thing. "I used to be the pilot with the most wins in all the pod races around the Galaxy. That's how the Supreme Leader detected my abilities. Do your best, Princess."

He laughed as the engines sprang to life.

Deanna paid no mind to him, focusing on all things in the Force around her. She did not need to see to detect what was coming towards her, but it took a moment to understand the perception of movement and the actual distance between objects. It was the same world, just a different perspective. Until she decided to hit the gas pedal, Darth Kai had already gained some advantage.

The Galactic tower was the tallest building in the city centre and going through the crowded aerial tracks was a nightmare at any time of the day or night. She could see it in the distance, illuminated in several violent colours. It was going to be a bumpy race.

This is certainly going to help, she thought, launching the speeder after Darth Kai's. She could feel him not far in front of her, effortlessly making his way through the other speeders at the maximum speed his vehicle allowed. He was really good, she thought to herself and she heard him chuckle at her thoughts. She smirked, realising that they connected much easier through the Force without the distraction of eyesight.

After a few minutes it became clear that it would be difficult to catch up unless she pulled some shenanigans herself. It was time to raise the bar and make things more interesting. She left the regular track and used the one above, which was for the speeders racing in the opposite direction, and which was much less crowded at that hour. She slalomed through the speeders coming towards her, amused at the fury of the drivers who could not believe their eyes.

Soon she was right above her rival's vehicle.

 _Interesting_ , she heard him chuckle again and soon he pulled the speeder up and joined her on the track.

"Too much traffic down there?" she taunted as their speeders lined up. They were both racing at maximum speed down the wrong lane , practically pushing all the speeders which were circulating lawfully out of the track.

"I like you, Princess. You're a risk taker," Darth Kai said over the noise. He was clearly enjoying himself.

They let a speeder pass between them and heard the obstinate driver swear loudly at them.

She smiled in spite of everything that had happened that night. They reached the tower, and Darth Kai pulled up to a stop before he squinted down through the dozens of tracks to the base of the tower. Her eyesight was also beginning to come back.

"I'm suddenly very thirsty," he said. "There is a good place down there."

He suddenly hit the gas once again and Deanna saw his speeder racing through the tracks below until he reached the ground. It was risky, even for someone well-trained in the ways of the Force. It was a miracle he made it unscathed.

 _No, you're the real risk taker_ , she thought and followed him, amused at the thought that the Prince of Hasterian would have very large fines to pay the next day. After all, the two speeders officially belonged to him.

As she reached the ground, she noted that Darth Kai had already lined his speeder up neatly in front of a noisy, colourful nightclub.

She got off her speeder, ignoring the angry drivers whose speeders her vehicle had blocked, and closed the distance to the other Sith.

"Looks like you lost the game, Princess," he said, but his tone was still playful. "I guess you owe me one."

"That was helpful indeed. I guess I do," she replied. Focusing only on the Force had made let go of her anger and calmed her spirit once again. She was ready to return to the palace.

"Well, in that case, you will accompany me for a drink," he decreed, grabbing her wrist and dragging her along inside the club. He ignored the long queue in front on the door and waved his hand at the guards. "You'll let us in," he ordered ,and was immediately allowed passage.

Inside it was spacious, despite the fact that there were many people here, of all different species. Most people crowded around the fancy bar, sipping colourful cocktails. Darth Kai let his black cloak fall off his shoulders and chose two seats at the bar that seemed appropriate for him, willing the people seating there away. Deanna looked around, curious. Back in the day, she'd always stayed away from Coruscant and her father's plots involving the Capital. She did not have much experience with nightlife in the Capital.

"What do you want to drink?" Darth Kai asked, as the bartender forgot his other customers instantly and rushed to take their order.

"Whatever you are having," she said, still looking around, distracted.

He raised an eyebrow, amused, and passed the order to the bartender.

"You've been here before," she noted.

"I get awfully bored in the Capital outside training days, without anyone to really entertain me."

"Perhaps the old man is too lenient with you. He needs to speed up your training or raise the level of difficulty," she said.

"What's life without a little fun, though?" he said, raising his glass of blue liquor and ice to his lips. She grabbed her own drink and looked at him over the rim of the glass. He grinned as he saw her wince at the strong taste of alcohol. It was not a drink for the occasional drinker.

"Life is anything but fun, at least for people like us," she said bitterly, downing her drink in a few gulps to his utter stupor.

"Another one," she called to the bartender.

Kai shook his head and smiled.

She looked around again, noting a few beautiful females around the bar staring at them. At him, in fact.

"You're awfully popular around here," she observed, taking off her cloak. She was still wearing the same type of lush dress reserved for the very rich and the Galactic aristocracy. It was dark blue velvet with silk insertions and pretty colourful precious stones. Her hair was not in perfect order, curls falling around her face, but it gave her an air of studied neglect. As soon as she revealed her face, the other females turned away, intimidated.

Kai did not bother look away from Deanna. He knew the effect he had on women in general, but so far he had never found someone interesting enough to even try having a conversation.

"Marking your territory?" he mocked, amused at the wave of sudden disappointment surrounding them.

Deanna snorted. "I really don't want to be disturbed by anyone right now, least of all by your occasional admirers."

As her drink arrived, she downed it again, a subtle colour rising in her pale-white cheeks.

"Take it easy with that, it's pretty strong stuff," he said, watching her curiously. He wondered silently again what Darth Plagueis could have showed to her to break the walls of self-control and indifference she had built around her. She had even deceived him and Kylo Ren, two well-trained Sith apprentices, into believing she was not even force-sensitive. What had made the walls crumble so much she had given in to such a fit of rage?

She did not pay much attention to him as she finished her third drink, looking unseeingly at the other people.

"That was overwhelming tonight," he observed, focusing his attention on her, trying to get a glimpse of her thoughts. He had not even finished his first drink and his concentration was as strong as ever.

The same could not be said about the princess. Her focus was weakening under the influence of the alcohol.

"Things which are already in history books are like the tangible yesterday for me," she said. "You couldn't possibly understand. My universe has turned upside down from one moment to another. You know that I am not Lord Plagueis' daughter."

"I know," he said. "It was also how I felt from the first moment. You could not fool me," he added. "Is your past weighing too heavily on your present, then?"

He caught a glimpse of her thoughts as he said that and his eyes widened in surprise.

"I would have never guessed," he said. "Darth Maul. Heard he was one tough bastard." He raised an eyebrow: "Unrequited love on top of it. Isn't this ironic, Princess? All that beauty and power does not serve you at all..."

Deanna slammed her glass down on the bar and turned to look him in the eyes. Had he not been prepared, he would have been crushed against the nearest wall. They confronted through the Force for a few moments until the princess turned away. "Stay out of my head," she ordered.

"Why would I do that, now?" he taunted her, coming closer, until they were facing each other. "This is fun." He pulled a stray curl from her face and played with it. "You know, unrequited love never brought any satisfaction to anyone," he murmured.

Deanna gave him an ugly look pushed his hand away.

Darth Kai shrugged. Perhaps he was doing this the wrong way. It was clear he would not get what he wanted tonight, but he was in no hurry. _The more difficult the chase, the sweeter the reward_ , he thought. He got up and grabbed her wrist once again. "It's time to go, Princess."

"I'm staying," she said, ignoring the pull on her hand.

"Fine," he snapped, as she ordered her next drink. He turned and looked around, spotting two beautiful women at the bar who were still watching him. He smiled at them and they stood and came to him.

"Suit yourself," he said to Deanna. "You're coming with me ladies," he told the girls with the unmistakable Force convincing tone. They looked more than happy to follow him to his speeder outside.

The princess continued to drink, ignoring his exit. She was also ignoring the stares of several males around her. She blocked the sleazy thoughts coming towards her and focused on her own misery. However, as soon as Darth Kai was out the door, a man who was sitting in a VIP lounge away from the crowd and surrounded by several important-looking people called on his guard.

"Get that woman to entertain me," he ordered, gesturing in Deanna's direction.

"Yes, Sir."

Outside, Kai got the two young women into the back space of his speeder and prepared to leave when he felt through the Force that Deanna was in unwanted company.

"That should teach her," he said to himself, looking back towards the club for a moment.

The feeling got more intense and he kicked the side of the speeder, frustrated. He had brought her here and needed to take care of her, otherwise it would be hell to pay with Plagueis.

He walked back into the club, igniting his lightsaber.

The Princess had finished her fourth drink and, as her eyesight was getting blurry, thought it was high time she returned to the Palace.

She got up, but just then a massive man grabbed her arm. "Come with me," he said in a tone which did not leave any space for protest.

Deanna pulled her arm away and the man whirled on her, his eyes dark with anger at being ignored. She prepared for the predictable attack as he raised his hand. However, the strike never came as his arm was suddenly chopped off from his shoulder by a lightsaber.

She rolled her eyes at Darth Kai, who pushed the now hysterical man aside and lifted Deanna up in his arms before she could protest. He walked out and unceremoniously dropped her in his speeder. The girls in the back watched in awe.

He jumped in the pilot's seat and sped off. They did not speak at all until they reached the basement of the palace once more.

Darth Kai stopped in front of his chambers, the two girls' arms wrapped up possessively around him.

Deanna glared at him. "Using the Force like that is disgusting," she said.

"Well, I guess it's much better than dealing with the daily frustration that accompanies the unrequited love for a dead man," he taunted her. He leaned down and kissed one of the girls on the lips. She giggled, clearly enjoying herself.

"You're a sick bastard," the princess remarked, walking away.

"I never pretended to be something else," he yelled after her. "And you are welcome to join us any time if you want to!"

With that, he entered his apartments, dragging the girls along and slamming the door behind them.

* * *

It was almost dawn on Dagobah when Kylo Ren and Rey found the first traces of civilisation. They had woken up early and walked for at least one hour before they had spotted the small house on the edge of a lake and in front of it what they were looking for: a means of transportation .

"Are you planning to steal those poor people's speeder?" Rey asked in disbelief.

"Obviously. It's not like I'm going to wake them up and pay for it," he whispered. It was almost difficult to hear him from behind the mask, and she smiled inwardly.

They had not exchanged more than a few sentences on the way. Both were careful of their thoughts. Too much had transpired already, too much had been revealed all at once.

As they sped off to the nearest big town, Rey looked from time to time at Kylo Ren, who continued to wear his helmet and stare only ahead, as if he were completely alone. She did not say a word, just wondered. What had happened to him? What had motivated him to switch sides? How had Snoke seduced him into joining the Dark Side? So many questions bothered her, but she did not dare speak up. She had been there when the events had taken place, but still had no answer as to what had prompted him to turn against his family and his mentor. He really was a mystery, but at the same time he was so familiar to Rey that she just struggled in vain to reconcile these two sides of him. However, beyond these questions laid a realisation that made her former resolutions quiver and crumble: she could not find the will to hurt him. Not now, not ever. And on top of that, her strong childhood affection for him, of which she had not been aware, had turned into something a lot more dangerous recently: a feeling of deep and irresistible attraction, a draw to him that she could not deny anymore. Not after that kiss. It had been like a wakeup call, really. Rey had no idea how to deal with this. It was all confusing: she wanted to get away from these feelings, but at the same time the thought that in a couple of hours she would be separated from him was unbearable. Rey breathed and rubbed at her temples. She needed to think. She had to let go, this was madness.

The speeder came to a halt as they entered the city and Kylo Ren found what he was looking for: intergalactic transport means.

"We're here," he said and got out of the speeder.

Rey grabbed his sleeve and he turned his attention to her. "What about me?" she asked.

He shrugged and looked away. "You're free to either wait for your friends or come along to the Capital. I don't know where Luke is these days."

Rey bit her lip and fought back tears that were threatening to well up in her eyes.

"Fine," she snapped. "So you choose to ignore what happened before."

She could feel through the Force that he was uncomfortable and somehow it made her feel better.

"I told you, Rey: stay away from me and my plans. That's all I have to say to you."

She was preparing for a snarky remark when she felt Jamie Kenobi reaching out to her through the Force. He was close to landing on Dagobah.

"And I told you, Ben: we are past the time where you could tell me what to do. By the way, my ride is here."

She turned around, watching Jamie's X-wing land not far behind her. None of them spoke again until Jamie joined them. Rey was surprised to see that the Jedi knight was rather relaxed, an amused smile tugging at his lips. He draped an arm around her shoulders and cocked his head, looking curiously at Kylo Ren.

"Long time, no see, Ren," he remarked, ignoring the wave of dislike emanating from the other man. "Nice mask, although I was kind of curious to see the face of the man who killed all his fellow padawans and ran away to serve an old, evil man. Does that mask help you when you look in the mirror?"

Kylo Ren ignited his saber and Rey clasped her hand around Jamie's wrist, but the young Jedi knight continue to ignore Ren's aggressive stance completely.

"I don't have a mandate to kill you," Jamie clarified, still smiling.

"I don't care what you or Luke may think of me. I will finish what Darth Vader started," Kylo's cold, metallic answer came from behind his mask.

"He did not start anything," Jamie continued, although Kylo Ren's seething anger was now almost tangible through the Force. "He let himself used by another evil old man. The only reason he did so much damage to the Galaxy was because Obi-wan did not bring himself to kill him when he had the chance."

Rey froze, almost sure that Kylo Ren would strike next. Surprisingly though, Kylo Ren switched off his lightsaber and his anger seemed to dissolve into thin air. He somehow regained his self-control, his years of intensive training paying off.

"Your arrogance blinds you, Jamie Kenobi," he said. "So typical of the Jedi. I have no mandate to kill you for now either. Go ahead and leave. It will be a pleasure to watch you fail and be destroyed."

He turned and walked away a few steps, and this time it was Jamie's voice which stopped him in his tracks. There was an edge to his voice that Rey had not heard before and it unsettled her.

"I'm looking forward to facing the full power of the Dark Side. Tell that to your Supreme Leader, or rather to _her_. The Sith will be eradicated once and for all."

Kylo Ren chose not reply and walked on to his transport. Rey tried stifle the unpleasant sensation of loss, as she watched him moving away and disappearing into the ship.

"You think it is that woman whom we saw with them on Valeant? She was not force-sensitive, Jamie," Rey said reasonably, turning to him, still surprised by his last words.

"Oh, I have no doubt it is her," the Jedi knight said, as they settled themselves inside the X-wing.

When Rey gave him a questioning look, he just contented himself to say: "Gut feeling, that is all." He then changed topic immediately: "Happy to see me?"

Rey nodded absent-mindedly, looking back at the landing tracks as they took off.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter VIII**

It was nine in the morning when Kylo Ren entered the Supreme Leader's apartments, led by a protocol droid to a small, dark meeting room. In the middle of the room there was a round table surrounded by four chairs. The room's walls were covered by wooden bookshelves ,upon which countless old volumes were neatly placed. It was stuffy, but it was Plagueis' favourite pastime spot.

Ren had been here before, but usually the Supreme Leader had received him alone. He sat down and waited for the other two men, feeling their presence close by. Darth Kai was coming down the hall and Snoke was in the next room, barking orders to General Hux. Both seemed to be in a foul mood.

But before he could figure out what was going on, the droid returned with a tray of refreshments and as he set them on the table, and Kylo Ren was taken by surprise as he saw the princess come in through the open door. Once again, he had been unable to detect her presence through the Force. He wondered about the angry presence he had recently felt, paralleled with her now calm demeanour. The contrast was striking.

"Good morning," she said in her distant, aloof manner, and took a seat beside him. She was wearing a long, white chiffon dress and her hair was pulled back in an elaborated chignon at the base of her neck. Despite her groomed appearance, she looked tired.

"Good morning, princess," he replied. He took off his helmet and set it on the table. Their eyes met briefly, and Deanna gave him a tentative smile. "I wouldn't bother with that in here. I don't need to see your face to read your thoughts," she said.

"I never wear it in the presence of our Leader," he said, preferring to ignore the jibe regarding his thoughts.

Indeed, their master hated it.

"So you arrived safely," he observed.

"I had no plans to escape in the first place," she clarified. "Darth Kai took things a little too seriously."

"I bet he did," Kylo replied, amused. With his temper, Kai must have been seething by the time they had reached the Finalizer.

He paused and gave her a scrutinising look. "A couple of nights ago...I felt a very dark presence through the Force."

"It was me," she cut him off. "I unleashed my anger. It will not happen again."

"It may be too late. It has already alerted the Jedi. I have a message for you, but let's discuss later, as Darth Kai..."

"What about me?" Kai inquired as he barged in, a cup of herbal infusion – a remedy against hangover and exhaustion – in his hand. He looked like he could use another few hours of sleep, with ungraceful dark circles marring the underside of his beautiful blue eyes.

He took a seat opposite Deanna, drinking from his cup and narrowing his eyes suspiciously at them.

There was no answer from either of his interlocutors. Kylo Ren was surprised to feel Deanna tense at his side, and looked curiously between the two of them, wondering what could have happened. She had a stoic expression as she stared somewhere above Darth Kai. Kai smirked and finished his drink quietly, enjoying her discomfort.

The Supreme Leader's voice lost its intensity and a moment later, Hux left the neighbouring room. The three of them could feel the young General's frustration and fear. Kylo Ren smiled, but his mirth died as soon as Plagueis entered the room. He walked to the table and sat in his usual place, folding his hands and resting his chin against them for a moment. He looked at them one by one for a few moments, seemingly pondering then said: "I believe we are ready to make our first real move against the Jedi."

The reactions around the table varied drastically. Kylo Ren hid his discontent and tried to look interested; Deanna's eyes flickered to Snoke, her expression still stoic, and Darth Kai did not hesitate to show his satisfaction at his master's words.

"That's wonderful, master," he said, but Plagueis silenced him with a gesture.

"Kylo Ren, once again you have failed your mission." the Supreme Leader said. "As for you, my young apprentice," he said to Kai, "You have severely disappointed me. I sent you both and only you returned. Fortunately for both of you, the princess is here. I expect you to work as a team from now on. If you ever fail me again, the consequences will be severe."

"Yes, master," the two apprentices said in one voice.

"There is only one way to win this war, and this is by working together. I did not train you so you'd fight each other," he spat, annoyed. "There will be no secrets in this house, at least not until the Jedi will be exterminated. After that day, we can battle each other and no rules shall apply. Only the strongest two of us will survive. It is the way of the Sith."

Darth Kai exchanged a quick look with Kylo Ren, a reminder of the conversation they had had on the day they had met for the first time.

"But until then, as I said, no secrets. One of you knows already that I am Darth Plagueis, dark lord of the Sith and Lord Sidious' master. History recalls that my apprentice killed me in my sleep." His face twisted into a horrible scowl. "Not an exact recollection I would say...About eighty years ago, Darth Sidious and his daughter assassinated me. Or at least they tried; due to my ample powers of recuperation I was able to survive in the end..."

Kylo Ren looked at Deanna surprise, but she was still staring somewhere ahead, her face devoid of any emotion. Darth Kai smirked.

"Lord Sidious was too powerful for me to try to overthrown him, especially after he took Darth Vader as his apprentice." Plagueis continued in his hollow voice. "I had to wait, until the proper moment. Providentially enough, the same Darth Vader was the end of the Empire as we knew it."

Kylo Ren looked sharply at Plagueis when he mentioned his grandfather's name.

"It gives me great pleasure to see that the only offspring of the Skywalker family has joined us," Plagueis cackled, and for the first time in years, Kylo felt a strange, overwhelming hate for the old man. He should have been proud to be on the same side as his grandfather, but the way that Plagueis had said it, it had sounded more like an insult.

"Now you are up to date, Kylo Ren. Deanna has unwillingly joined us to pay for her sins."

"Pay for my _sins_?" she broke the silence for the first time since Plagueis had entered the room. "What a joke. I never wanted to get involved in my father's plans, but killing you was one of the few things he asked me to help with in his entire life. I could not deny him a small favour, after all he'd done for me. Don't take it personally, old man."

Darth Plagueis raised his hands in a gesture that said "look what I have to put up with", while Kylo Ren stared at Deanna in awe. He had never seen anyone speak to his master like that. She really knew no fear. He wondered why she was so reckless.

Darth Kai looked at his Supreme leader. "Should I silence her, master?" he asked in a serious tone.

"There is no need for that, my young apprentice. She's trapped. It's just the rage of a caged beast," Plagueis said, enjoying the hatred in the princess' eyes. "Let us turn to the matter at hand."

Kai and Deanna's eyes locked for a moment, as he stubbornly checked the veracity of his master's words. She smirked, as she pushed him out of her head. They both turned their attention to Darth Plagueis.

"I have seen Luke Skywalker yesterday," the Supreme leader began. "He seems oblivious to Deanna's existence, and this is the most important thing. It's time to feed you into the story, my young apprentice. The Jedi believe there has been an awakening. We shall use you to divert attention from Kylo Ren and myself."

The trio looked at him curiously, wondering what he was planning.

"The strength of the Jedi is Luke himself, and a new Jedi knight by the name of Jamie Kenobi."

He saw the princess start at the mention of the Kenobi name, and smiled inwardly.

"I told Skywalker that I have received several death threats since I became a candidate to the post of chancellor. He seemed to buy that. I also told him that my daughter Deanna is in imminent danger, someone tried to kill her last week, and will try again: to intimidate me, of course. I have asked for his help and he promised to assist in finding the killer and protecting you, my dear daughter. Now we will need to make it believable. That's where you step in, Darth Kai."

"Master?"

"It's time to make your presence known. You will be the one who will make an attempt on her life to make everything seem real. We must not raise suspicions. It must be as real as it can. We will disguise her anger fit with your 'awakening'," Darth Plagueis clarified.

"It will look _real_ , no worries, master," Darth Kai replied, giving Deanna an ominous look. "So if I'm to play the part of the bad guy, who's going to be the white knight then?"

"I will try to convince Luke to let Jamie Kenobi 'protect' Deanna. We will thus separate the master from his former padawan. Jamie has just passed his trials, showing he was even stronger than Skywalker. But he's still young, and prone to mistakes. I'm so looking forward to meeting him," Plagueis said, a strange glint in his dark, reptilian eyes.

He turned to look at Deanna. "You will need to gain his trust, find his weaknesses and the location of the new Jedi temple. We have to destroy them. All of them."

She nodded. "You cannot harm him, not until I give you my approval," Plagueis warned her.

Deanna watched him coldly. "I will try," she promised.

"I am meeting them in half an hour at the Senate," he said. "If Skywalker grants my wish, we have already half won. I will speak with the two of you when I come back and give you further instruction as to how we will proceed."

Deanna and Kai stood simultaneously, and left the room.

"Kylo Ren, stay," the Supreme Leader interjected, as the young knight prepared to stand as well.

Plagueis waited a few seconds for the two to leave the premises. "While they keep Skywalker and Kenobi busy, we need to prepare to wipe out the other Jedi. I want you to summon your knights and prepare for an attack."

"It will be done, master," Kylo said. He tried not to think of Rey.

"You may leave now," Plagueis said, standing and turning towards his library. He retrieved his favourite volume, then looked at the door through which Kylo Ren had just left. Something was troubling the young man, but he preferred not to dwell on it. He had broken Kylo Ren in every way he had seen fit over the years, and now he just kept him at a distance, not sure of his future. The man had always been annoyingly unpredictable. It was the risk of turning someone from the Light. Plagueis opened his book, thinking that it did not matter anyway. Soon he will have no need for him.

"Captain!" he called, and a female stormtrooper entered. "Get my ship ready. We're going to the Senate."

"Well, princess, this is about to get interesting," Darth Kai said, as they walked down to their respective quarters. "I can't wait to play my part. And I would not mind teaching you a painful lesson or two in the process."

"I see your frustration is far from being been resolved. The two ladies were not up to your standards?" Deanna pushed back.

Kai stopped walking and grabbed her arm. "My frustration?" he growled. "I sensed throughout the meeting how you would have loved to strike me down. You can hide from the others, but not from me."

"That might be because I was not trying to hide?" she suggested, as the grasp on her arm tightened. Focused on each other as they were, they only sensed Kylo Ren approaching at the last moment. He grabbed Darth Kai's shoulder painfully, making him release Deanna.

"Still feeling like saving damsels in distress, Kylo Ren? Must be annoying to still feel this pulse of the Light after all that training. Why won't you leave this to Kenobi instead?" Kai spat.

"I'd like a word with you, Princess," Kylo said, ignoring the other apprentice, and releasing him.

Darth Kai pushed his mocking thoughts towards her. _Oh please. Here we go_. _He's going to play the troubled, conflicted guy card now_.

Deanna gave him a warning look and walked on to her apartments, followed by Ren. Darth Kai kicked the doors to his chambers open and slid in annoyed.

Ren raised an eyebrow as they entered her living room, which was still in shambles.

"I would invite you to sit down, but I slept on the floor myself last night."

"I see," he said. "I will be brief anyway. Plagueis' plan may fail. I met Jamie Kenobi last night. He already holds a suspicion towards you. He asked me to pass the message to you and Plagueis, that he is looking forward to a confrontation."

"He's probably just a hothead," Deanna said disdainfully. "I wouldn't be too worried. He expects to see a black-clad witch, wheezing with darkness. Instead, he will meet an innocent, sweet princess that he will be very happy to 'protect'. And once Darth Kai appears into the picture, his confidence in his theory will crumble."

Kylo Ren watched her with concern. "What happened the other night? What made you lose your cool?"

She sighed and closed the distance between them, placing her cold fingers against the warm skin of his face for a moment. "Since Plagueis and Darth Kai already know, there is no reason to hide it from you."

Someone else's memories flooded his mind. A teenage Deanna was reading a book while taking sneak glances at a slightly older Darth Maul who was duelling a man that Kylo recognised as Lord Sidious. From her memory he could perceive how happy Deanna was around Sidious' apprentice. The scenery changed, and a beautiful, elegant Deanna, now in her early twenties, walked around a lake on a planet that could have been Naboo, holding Maul's arm. She wanted to tell her about her feelings but she did not dare to.

Something tugged at his own memory and Kylo remembered the weight of Rey in his arms, her tearful face, her soft lips under his own...

He snapped to attention as Deanna took a step back, visibly surprised by what she had unintentionally seen in his mind.

" _That_ is dangerous ground, Lord Ren," she warned him.

"Please do not say anything to Darth Plagueis," he said, looking away.

"Don't let Plagueis get to you," she replied. "He's _nothing_. He just knows how to manipulate others to get what he wants. He is no match for your power in a real duel."

"How do you know that?" Kylo asked, surprised.

"We have to play by his rules for now," she said quickly. "Let us have this discussion a little later. For now, follow his plans to the letter."

"You're trying to get revenge for Darth Maul," he realised. "I know how he died. It was a Jedi who killed him. A Kenobi for that matter."

She nodded. "Plagueis knew I would not be able to resist taking revenge. We both have our hidden agendas here."

He blushed slightly despite himself and she smiled. "Don't worry, Lord Ren. We have absolutely zero reasons to be enemies. Your biggest enemy is the Light that still resides inside you. You need to destroy every ray of it if you truly want to lead one day."

He knew Deanna was right. He thought of Rey again, the way she'd always been the antidote to the darkness within. He needed to distance himself from her at all costs.

"That's always been the problem with the Jedi who turned to the Dark Side," she added. "You thought it would be the easy way to overcome your anger and your dissatisfaction with the dogmatic ways of the Light. You, like others before you, were wrong: the path of the Dark Side is not the easy one. It requires the most commitment. In time, you will see what I mean."

He had to agree.

* * *

Rey waited for a moment on the steps of the new Jedi temple. Master Luke was just behind that door, waiting for her return. For the first time since she had met him three years back, she hesitated to stand before him.

However, Jamie made the decision for her and pushed open the door, calling Luke.

"I brought Rey home, master Luke!" he yelled walking up the corridor going to Luke's office.

Rey sighed and followed him inside, wishing she'd stop acting so foolishly. Why did everything come so easy to young Kenobi? Why did he not worry about anything? How the hell did he have the guts to say all these things to Kylo Ren earlier and not even care for the consequences?

She found Luke behind his screen, focused on some type of work.

"I am here, master," she said.

Luke cocked his head and gave her a glance, then stood and approached his two students.

"Jamie, tomorrow we leave for the Capital. I have a mission for you. We shall talk about it later."

"Understood, master," Jamie said, acknowledging from Luke's tone that he wanted to have some privacy with Rey. He left them, closing the door behind him.

For a moment, Luke and Rey eyed each other in silence, each of them hoping that the other would be the one to start talking. Rey finally gathered her courage and said - more like exploded in a rather reproachful tone, that she knew she should never have employed when talking to Luke. He'd always treated her like his own daughter.

"Why didn't you tell me, master?"

Luke's shoulders gave an involuntary jerk.

"Ben told you," he acknowledged.

Rey nodded, her eyes narrowing. She fought off the underlying feeling of anger.

"He unlocked my memories. Why, master, why did you not tell me when we were reunited, three years ago?"

Luke leaned back against his desk and shrugged. "I did not want to make your life even more difficult than it already was."

"Was that the real reason, master, or were you not able to trust me?"

Luke sighed. "Rey, I _do_ trust you. But you were too vulnerable at the time. You still are, in a way."

Rey almost snorted. "I know what I'm supposed to do, master. I know where my allegiance lies."

"What did he tell you?" Luke asked. "It's very important that you recount every detail to me."

Rey looked away. "There isn't much to tell. We did not speak much to each other. All I can say is that he's never coming back. Whatever happened to him can never be undone. Ben Solo is no more."

Luke nodded, although he sensed she was not telling him the entire truth. So much for the trust. As he had expected, something had happened to Rey. Something that made her keep secrets from him.

"He also made it clear that you and I should stay clear off his path. He will show us no mercy."

Luke was not surprised to hear that. He watched her silently for a moment, appraising her. Something transpired between them and Luke said: "You know he will not hurt _you_. You are convinced of that."

Rey almost kicked herself. "I cannot be entirely sure, but ... twice he had a chance to kill me and he did not do it. I know from my memories that he treated me like his little sister. I suppose that was the reason why he did not torture me or try to kill me before. Somehow he knew it was me."

"Yes, Rey. And he probably tried to convince you to join him more than once."

She gave him a bitter smile, nodding. Luke sighed again. "He must be miserable there, by himself with that monster, Snoke. He was never a truly mean boy. He must hate himself for what he did three years ago. Hate will never help though."

Rey looked at her shoes. "Master, you might be wrong. He has grown stronger than he used to be. Much stronger. I think he has a plan. He did not tell me what his goal was, but I am sure he is up to something."

Luke scoffed. "One can only guess that he is trying to achieve what my father had tried as well. Rule the Galaxy, without his master. He needs you more than he wants to show. He hopes you will join him, and perhaps together take out Snoke. You know, that was also my father's hope once he found out about my existence. But The Emperor had a _better_ plan. The Emperor wanted _me_ to replace my father at his side."

The girl gulped watching Luke in silence. History seemed to have an ugly way of repeating itself.

Luke continued: "However, Jamie tells me that some complications have arisen...Snoke is breaking the rules of the Sith and training several apprentices. Whenever that happened in the past they ended up slaughtering each other. Two nights ago there was an awakening, one so powerful that made me think that we need to be extra careful in the future."

"Jamie thinks it is a woman we saw on Valeant. She did not look Force-sensitive to me."

Luke nodded. "Look, Rey, I think it is best if you get some rest for now. You and Ben have always had this special connection. It probably frightens you to rediscover it, and although you cannot escape it, you can learn to live with it. He's made the wrong choices, but the same does not have to apply to you. Each of us is responsible for his or her own choices."

She nodded. "Thank you for everything, master. _Thank you_ is what I should have first said to you."

"Go rest," Luke insisted. "And send Jamie to me."

As Jamie returned, he found Luke extremely worried.

"What is the trouble, master?" the young Jedi asked immediately.

"Rey...some unresolved issues."

Jamie put his hands in his pockets of his beige robes looking embarrassed for a moment. "What is the matter?" Luke asked sharply.

"Well, master, I think Rey's relation to Kylo Ren has... changed. When we were earlier on Dagobah..." he hesitated again. "I may be wrong though..."

"You're _never_ wrong Jamie," Luke said, shaking his head. "I'm still waiting for the day when you will be wrong. Please trust your abilities."

"Well, I could sense that Kylo Ren was annoyed, perhaps even _jealous_ , when I put my arm around Rey and Rey did not like me touching her in front of him. She was never like that before. She was also sorry to leave him. She kept looking back when we left. Something happened between them on Dagobah."

It was worse than he had thought, Luke mused. "Then we need to be keep an eye on her. He might try to contact her again, even without orders from Snoke."

Jamie acquiesced. "Master, about my new mission..."

"The Prince of Hasterian wants to meet you tomorrow, Jamie. You will be in charge of his daughter's protection for the next few days until we figure out what is going on. We will set for the capital tonight."

Jamie would have protested against such a mission out of principle, but Luke's tone did not leave any room for negotiation.

"Yes, master," he said. "I will make preparations."

* * *

Rey walked calmly out of the Jedi temple, but as soon as she was outside, she ran down the path to the forest surrounding it without looking left or right. She just ran for a long while, until her throat burned and her chest felt as if it would burst any minute. She stopped only when she thought she was far enough from Luke and Jamie.

She bent slightly, resting her hands on her knees, and taking deep breaths until she stabilised her breathing.

Then, her eyes fixed on the old trees ahead, she walked on until she found the sea. She sat down on the rocky ground and brought her knees up, resting her chin against them.

 _So this is it_ , she thought. Luke did not trust her, and Ben did not want her around him. Tears burned in her eyes and she willed them back furiously. She felt betrayed. Angry. Wanted to punch someone in the face. She tried to take another calming breath, but it did not work.

 _I'm alone_ , she thought. _I'm again alone and miserable_. _I should have stayed on Jakku._

 _Don't cry._

She shivered. The voice in her head was crystal clear. She was not imagining this. It was out there, familiar through the Force. It reached out to her. It was soothing. It filled the void she felt. It made her yearn for its comfort. She wanted to ask who it was, but did she not dare. She had felt the connection before, the night when everything had started.

Rey felt suddenly relieved. She was _not_ alone. Someone, far away, _did_ care for her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter IX**

Deanna sat in front of the massive mirror in her sleeping chamber, an array of cosmetics, hair styling products and adornments on the nearby table, while two handmaidens were busily arranging her sumptuous dress and hairdo.

Her rooms had been recently put back in order after the palace servants had acknowledged the disaster and Plagueis had allowed them to intervene and make the required repairs.

The handmaidens were still focused on the final touches when Lord Plagueis and Darth Kai entered the chambers. Deanna eyed them both with displeasure and did not bother to greet them. Plagueis, his reptilian eyes glittering with the excitement of launching his plans against the Jedi, ignored her cold reception, and approached to take a closer look at her. Darth Kai remained by the door, appearing rather sullen, his face half-hidden by the hood of his black cloak.

"Beautiful," Plagueis croaked, appraising her revealing dark blue silk dress and her stylized hair, which cascaded in a mass of brown curls down her back to her waist, and had been embellished with star-shaped blue crystals. "You truly look like a Princess."

Deanna shrugged, the corset of her dress constricting her movements drastically. She did not remember having ever looked this sophisticated. She had made an effort to look as mesmerising as possible, just as Plagueis had requested.

"Can we loosen this a little?..." she inquired, but the handmaidens, as they were trained in these matters of beauty over comfort, pretended not to hear her.

"So," she said, irritably pushing away the hand of a handmaiden who seemed keen to spray another significant quantity of perfume on her. "At what time am I to meet the Jedi?"

Lord Plagueis folded his hands and looked at her silently for a moment.

"You have promised not to do anything rash," he reminded her.

"I have," she acknowledged.

"We will meet them in two hours at the Senate, where I will introduce them to you. There will only be the two of them. Since Skywalker has already accepted that the Kenobi boy be put in charge of your protection, you will probably have him around you at all times for at least the next few days. There can be no mistakes that could give rise to suspicions during this time."

In the background, Darth Kai scowled and met Deanna's cold stare in the mirror. She frowned, still staring at Darth Kai.

"What does that entail, exactly?"

"I have given orders to have your things moved to an apartment on the third floor. It would be strange for my daughter to live in this basement. I have also arranged for the apartment next to yours to be allocated to Jamie Kenobi while he's here. That way, he will be able to keep an eye on you at all times."

Her eyes flickered to Plagueis, betraying her disapproval, but the older Sith cut short all incoming protests. "We need to make things look real. You need to gain his trust."

The Supreme Leader turned to Kai. "As for you, my young apprentice, you need to leave this place for a while. You are not yet able to cloak your presence within the Force. The young Jedi will sense your presence."

"And when do I come into the story, Master?" Darth Kai asked, closing the distance. He tried to stifle the feeling of annoyance that took over him as he was told to stay away from the palace, and ultimately away from Deanna for a while.

"We shall wait a few days before you attack. I will let you know when the time is right. Meanwhile, think of an original plan. As I told you before, it has to look as real as possible, at the risk of injuring either of them."

Kai lowered the hood of his cloak and stared at Deanna, a cruel smile curving his lips. "Yes, master. I will make it look as real as possible." Something in his tone of voice made her think he had already thought things through, and was planning to put her life in danger, or at least injure her badly the first chance he got. She liked Plagueis' plan less and less by the minute.

"Don't forget," Plagueis advised, looking at her. "You must never use your power around young Kenobi, regardless of the situation. I will see you at the Senate. Come directly to my office. They will be there."

With that, he left the room. Darth Kai stayed behind for a moment.

"Prepare yourself, Princess. This will be fun," he said, his eyes sweeping over her appreciatively, before he left the room as well.

Deanna sighed. Although she was not frightened, the idea of not being able to use her power for quite some time was disconcerting. She felt as if her hands would be completely tied and she would be at the mercy of a Sith who wanted to hurt her, and left her relying on potentially her worst enemy to protect her. _It can't get any worse_ , she thought.

She would be proven wrong shortly.

* * *

Luke and Jamie walked together through the impressive lobby of the new Senate building, Jamie gazing around in awe. He had very rarely set foot in the Capital before, and everything around him was a little overwhelming. As he'd been walking towards the building, he had not known where to look first: the buildings, the lights, the people, or the speeders.

"It's impressive, isn't it?" Luke did not need the Force to know what his apprentice was feeling. It was written all over his face.

"To be honest, master, I wouldn't mind taking care of that spoilt brat for a few more days, if I were to stay here," he admitted with a broad smile on his face.

Luke laughed, looking at him before he shook his head in disapproval: "I think his Highness would not appreciate you introducing yourself to him still looking like a mere padawan, or bad mouthing his daughter. Not to mention that places such as these are always a distraction for the Jedi. We have to stay focused on what really matters."

"I will take care of my appearance, master, I promise," he said, passing a hand through his hair. "The Capital is the right place to do it, I suppose. And you are right, I should not badmouth people I have not met yet. But somehow, I'm sure she is a brat. Playing bodyguard is not a Jedi job and you know it as well, master."

Luke smiled again. He felt so good around Jamie. He knew it was partly because he reminded him of his great uncle, Obi-wan. Ever since the boy had been brought to the Jedi temple by his mother, he had become Luke's greatest achievement. Jamie had a positive attitude towards learning and was humble despite all his achievements; every time he and Ben had spent time together, even if Jamie was the younger one, he seemed much more mature than his own nephew. There was something pure, selfless and straightforward about the young man that had always fascinated Luke, something that he supposed that many of the old Republic Jedi who lived by the code shared. Even if his training had been halted abruptly after Ben's betrayal, Jamie had come back to the "academy" as soon as Luke had been rumoured to have returned as well. Luke could only thank the Force that Jamie had been at his parent's place the night when Ben and his six friends had slaughtered the other padawans.

Suddenly, Jamie stopped walking and stared at a room full of people who were gawking at a holovid about some future droid technology.

"Master, may I have just a quick look?" he pleaded, under Luke's impatient eye.

"We'll be late, Jamie."

"Just a few moments, please, master."

Luke pondered for a second. "Fine, go ahead. I will go greet the Prince, but don't please don't linger."

Jamie smiled and gave a nod, rushing away in the direction of the projection, while Luke continued to the turbolift leading to the private office of the Prince of Hasterion.

* * *

"Stop the shuttle!" Deanna suddenly ordered the trooper acting as her guard. In the distance, she perceived the majestic new building of the Galactic Senate, in the middle of its sumptuous ecological gardens.

The shuttle halted and she closed her eyes, focusing on disconnecting herself from the Force. It was a daunting, if not impossible task. The princess had not known any other way of life: she had always been in close contact with everything surrounding her. Ever since she'd been a small child, Lord Sidious had taught her to be fully connected with the Force. She's known the Force before she'd even known how to speak.

She focused for a moment, her senses reaching out, cutting off the clatter of speeders and human voices around them. Close by, a flower bloomed; she could almost feel the sweet, fresh smell. A bird surged through the air, landing on the roof of a nearby building. She reached further, and spotted the strong presence of a Jedi in one of the turbolifts going to Darth Plagueis' office. She had no idea whether it was the master or the padawan, as she had not met either of them before. She could feel Plagueis' presence too, dark and ominous, and filled with a strange sense of triumph. She scanned the building in search of the other Jedi and found him. A blinding light invaded her senses, and she fought it off, in spite of its undeniable beauty.

Deanna retreated before he could sense her and focused on herself, ignoring the connection. Slowly, the smell of the flower evaporated, and the Senate building became a remote place she could barely perceive. Instead, she let herself be distracted by the sounds around her. Her mind became a little fuzzy, but there was a sort of beauty to that: the darkness and the light blurred, and she felt free from the constraints of the Force.

"Resume!" she ordered, opening her eyes.

They reached the Senate a few minutes later, and the guard stopped the shuttle and helped Deanna out.

"There is no need to accompany me," she said, arranging her dress, wishing it was a little less revealing and a little more comfortable. She climbed up the stairs to the entrance and crossed the long hallway towards the area of the turbolifts. She stepped into one of them. "Fifty-eight," she said, and the doors proceeded to close.

Just then, someone pressed the button outside, and the doors re-opened to reveal the silhouette of a young man, dressed in dark brown robes. He stepped in, and his eyes fell on the Princess' much shorter frame, meeting her surprised eyes.

Jamie drank in her appearance for a few moments, before he blinked and turned his head, looking stubbornly away from her as the turbolift took off.

Deanna couldn't help staring at his profile as they travelled up the floors at top speed. As she studied him intently, time felt like to it had stopped . Judging by his clothing and hair, he was clearly a Jedi in training. She wondered why she had not felt his presence in the building earlier.

He unexpectedly turned his head, his deep blue eyes locking with hers again. It was weird, but Deanna felt as if the air surrounding them had all of a sudden become very warm. Dazedly, she realised her own heartbeat had sped up for no apparent reason. Colour crept into her face, making her more endearing than ever. Frustrated, she glared at him, her lips curling up in a disdainful smile.

It was a relief when his eyes released her from under their strange power, and she heard him say in a low, slightly annoyed tone of voice: "Laugh as much as you want. Must be amusing to see even Jedi succumb to your beauty."

She wanted to say something cruel in return, but she discovered that his words had made her even more flustered. The turbolift came to a stop and Jamie stepped out, without looking back.

Deanna stared at the electronic panel indicating the floor. It was the right floor. She followed the Jedi, but kept her distance, taking calming breaths until she regained her composure. She had no idea what had come over her.

However, when Jamie pushed the button to the doors of Plagueis' antechamber, she halted. It could not be...

When she entered Plagueis' office a few moments later, she found the two Jedi standing there, speaking to him. The master was the shorter one; he had blond hair and wore a beard. He was exchanging greetings with Plagueis. Deanna cloaked her presence in the Force as much as possible as she advanced in the room, and the soon-to-be chancellor acknowledged her presence.

"Ah, Deanna. Just in time!" he said, and the two Jedi turned to her.

"Master Skywalker, this is my daughter," Darth Plagueis said, taking her hand and bringing her before them. She resisted the impulse to pull back her hand away, and faced the two Jedi.

Luke Skywalker bowed his head slightly and smiled. "Milady. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. We have heard so much of your courage. Having been the target of such a cowardly attack must have been dreadful."

She did her best to return his smile.

"Master Jedi," she said. "Indeed, it has been most unpleasant. Your presence here is much welcome."

"We will take good care of you. You have nothing to worry about," Luke said pleasantly, throwing Jamie a look. His former padawan was staring stubbornly at the floor.

"My daughter," Plagueis intervened, "Master Kenobi here has volunteered to take care of you for the next few days."

Deanna could almost feel the sarcasm dripping off him, despite his sweet, concerned tone of voice. Her nails dug painfully in her palms, drawing blood.

She raised her eyes to Jamie's face. So there he was, right in front of her. The nephew of the man who had slaughtered her beloved. The reality of it was overwhelming. He even resembled his uncle physically. Why had she been so blind not to see it before? He'd also been the one to fight Kylo Ren and Darth Kai on Valeant.

She stood there, unmoving, wishing she could tear him to pieces with her bare hands.

Jamie could feel the waves of dislike coming off the beauty in front of him, and wondered what had generated her revulsion in the first place. Was it his earlier comment? His remark had indeed been out of place, but he had felt extremely angry at himself for reacting so stupidly when he had first seen her. The Jedi were supposed to be above weakness generated by mere attraction.

"Milady," he said coldly, pulling his shoulders back and ignoring his master's curious gaze.

Deanna did not greet him, until she felt Plagueis' arm brush against hers.

"Master Kenobi," she acknowledged sharply. They looked at each other in silence for a few moments. Jamie noted the paleness of her face, in sharp contrast with the redness in her cheeks earlier in the elevator. For the first time in his life, he truly wished he could just put aside common sense and reach into her mind to understand what was happening. Why he even cared, it was beyond him. She was just a brat, he remembered, turning to his master.

"Young man, we are extremely pleased that you have offered to help us. I have prepared an apartment for you in my palace. I am looking forward to having the most brilliant Jedi in my home," Darth Plagueis said.

"I am the one who is honoured, your Highness," Jamie said.

"Now, with Master Skywalker's agreement Jamie, I would propose that you accompany us. I will explain the situation to you on the way to the palace. Master Skywalker, would you join us for dinner?"

Luke smiled and nodded. He studied Deanna carefully, as she walked behind Plagueis and Jamie, her small fists clenching and unclenching at her sides.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter X**

In the great reception hall of the Hasterion Palace, a long, beautiful table had been set in the centre of the room. It was lavishly decorated with colourful flower bouquets, expensive plates, and golden cutlery. Expensive candles had been lit up and placed on the table for the occasion, although the light from the modern chandeliers hanging above the table was more than abundant.

Around the table sat some of the most important people in the New Republic, dressed up for the occasion and caught up in animated conversation. Behind each guest, a palace servant waited to attend to the guest's smallest whim.

To Jamie's surprise, his master and he himself had been seated close to the middle of the table, and opposite to the prince and his daughter. Jamie deeply regretted by now that he had not listened to Luke and had shown up in the Capital still looking like a mere padawan. Everyone around him looked so fine, so elegant... especially the Princess in front of him. She had changed into another dress for dinner. A white one, trimmed with lace, less revealing than the one she had worn in the afternoon, and much more to his own taste. He knew he should not have these feelings, since a Jedi's life was all about modesty, compassion and ignoring material issues. But that knowledge was not enough to put his mind at ease.

"It is a pity that Princess Organa did not make it tonight. I was looking forward to hearing from her about how successful Resistance raids have been on the last First Order outposts," the Prince said to Luke.

Luke smiled:

"My sister's schedule is quite unpredictable these days," he said, in the guise of an excuse.

Plagueis returned the smile, nodding slightly. He was sure Leia Organa was being busy wiping out the mock troops he had stationed in those outposts, while he sat under their very nose in the Capital, making sure that the Sith assumed power once more. He threw Deanna a glance, but the young woman seemed distracted, her eyes wandering to her right, away from Luke and Jamie Kenobi. He did not like the way things were going. Perhaps he had overestimated her self-control? Had he made a mistake in showing her the link between young Kenobi and the man who had killed Darth Maul? No matter what, they had to pull this stunt through if they wanted the plan to succeed.

"Senator, your main opponent in the race announced his strategy for the campaign yesterday. It was a surprise to me that the Duke was so blunt about it. What do you think?"

Plagueis turned to the man beside him who had asked the question. He was one of the main sponsors of his campaign; not a very bright man overall, but with all the credits he poured into his account, he had to put up with his nonsense once in a while.

"What do you think, young man?" the Supreme Leader asked Jamie instead.

"I would think he wants to put you on the wrong track, your Highness. Who would be so open about such things? No one would show their hand, when the campaign has barely started," the young Jedi replied, under Luke's disapproving gaze.

"Of course," Plagueis smiled contentedly. "So you are following politics, Jamie?"

Jamie blushed slightly.

"Sometimes, when I have the chance," he admitted.

The Supreme Leader lay back in his chair, his predatory gaze on the young knight. He had studied Jamie closely throughout the dinner, happy with what he had learnt. So much positive energy, so much strength in the Force. If he could just turn someone like him to the Dark Side, that would be his greatest personal victory over the Jedi.

To Plagueis' right, Deanna had been quiet most of the time, focused on reading the reactions of people around her without the use of the Force. She did not need the Force to see how Plagueis was fascinated by the young Jedi. The Dark Lord had spent most of the evening studying him surreptitiously. _Does he really think he can turn someone like that to the Dark side?_ she wondered. The old man had obviously lost it, if he held such thoughts.

As the evening continued, Jamie slowly became the centre of attention, entertaining the other guests. He obviously was very well-informed about everything happening on the political scene. Deanna found herself staring at him from time to time with a certain amount of fascination. From so far away, on some forsaken planet where he had trained, he had still found ways to follow the events unfolding in the New Republic. It wasn't completely unexpected from the Jedi to keep themselves informed, although they were usually rather detached from political events.

However, Jamie's comments were witty, sometimes even funny, and showed a perfect understanding of the various topics people around the table were discussing. Once in a while, when he made a particularly funny comment that had everyone around him laughing, Deanna noticed that his eyes flickered to her for just a moment, as if he were trying to see if that particular remark had also made the same impression on her.

Their eyes had barely met throughout the evening, despite being seated right across from each other. It was a sort of mutual understanding after the day's earlier events. It was sheer torture, she thought, wondering how she would manage to put up with his constant presence, especially when alone.

"...I think it is a great idea to bring your daughter to the Capital," she heard one of the guests finish.

She had not heard what he had said before that, focused as she was on the young man before her.

"Indeed. She will help me during the campaign," Plagueis said. "We will have a difficult schedule as of tomorrow. I need all the help that I can get from my family."

The official line was that his wife had passed away many years ago, and he had tried so far to keep his daughter away from public eye as much as possible. That was the reason why nobody had met Deanna before.

By the time the evening came to an end, and the guests took their leave, it was already past midnight.

"Deanna," Plagueis called, as the last guest was accompanied to his speeder, and Luke Skywalker approached to bid his goodbye as well. "Perhaps you could show Jamie his new lodgings upstairs, while I discuss with Master Skywalker."

The princess gave him a silent nod and took the stairs, Jamie saying his goodbyes to Luke before hurrying to catch up with her.

"Master Skywalker, will you be staying in the Capital over the next few days?" Plagueis asked the Jedi knight as he accompanied him out.

"I am not sure yet. It depends on how long it will take to find the Princess' attacker. I hope we will uncover the mystery surrounding that event soon. I cannot leave the Jedi academy unattended for long."

"I understand perfectly. Jamie's presence alone is reassuring." Plagueis said.

"Thank you for the dinner, your Highness. It was delightful."

"How should we reach you in case of any emergencies, Master Jedi?"

"Jamie will know," Luke said, getting into his speeder. "We have our ways to communicate." He waved at the Prince, as the speeder surged through the air.

"I'm sure you do," Plagueis commented venomously, on his way back to the palace.

* * *

Deanna was relieved that on the first floor, where Plagueis had told her that her new quarters were situated, she could only see two doors. Nobody had bothered to inform her which apartments were hers and which belonged to her new "protector", therefore she pressed open the button to the first doors she saw and stepped into the room, ordering the lights on. The room, despite its ornate furbishing, was austere, with no personal belongings hanging around.

She hesitated for just a split second before she turned to Jamie and told him: "You'll be staying here."

Jamie looked around, without hiding his awe. The luxury of the living room was almost obscene to his eyes. Elsewhere, the Galaxy was barely recovering from the war and in the Capital some people lived like that. He stepped into the large bedroom with its private freshener, and sighed in disbelief.

"Well, I bid you good night then, master Kenobi," he heard Deanna's voice from the living room.

"Wait!" he called and she halted grudgingly, turning around. She had seemed tense throughout the day and now she looked as if she was extremely eager to get rid of him.

Her attitude kind of ticked him off. He was wasting his time here, when he could have been back at the academy, training. He was wasting precious time on a _brat_.

"Yes?" she said impatiently.

"Where are your apartments?" he inquired.

"Over there," she indicated the doors from across the hall. "Why?"

"I want to have a look," he said.

"What for?" she asked in the same tone, frowning.

"If I am to protect you, I need to know your surroundings," he answered simply, bypassing her and pushing the button to the doors across the hall.

Deanna followed him reluctantly, seething. He was certainly right to want to check the apartment, it was part of his job, but she did not want him in her room. She did not want him anywhere near her for that matter.

Jamie was not surprised to find that the Princess' room was far more beautiful than his own, with the windows facing the gardens behind the palace. He made a tour of the living room, inspecting the windows and reaching out through the Force, searching for any immediate danger. There was none. He continued into the bedroom, feeling the Princess' furious gaze on him. It was not like he was purposefully invading her privacy, and her attitude was starting to get on his nerves. He decided to prolong his visit for the sole purpose of annoying her further.

He stopped short before the large mirror with its adjacent table full of cosmetics and perfumes. For a moment he smirked, entertaining the idea that perhaps she was not so beautiful after all, and all these things helped her look a lot more gorgeous than she might actually be.

Deanna stood in the doorway, watching the Jedi carefully as he scanned the room. It was the last place she wanted to see him and she could not wait for him to leave. Unfortunately, it appeared that he was keen on taking his sweet time looking around. Her breath caught up when she saw him grab her favourite bottle of perfume and lift the lid. He turned to her, his eyes thoughtful while he inhaled the familiar scent he had tasted earlier in the elevator.

That set her off and she walked up to him, grabbing his hand and wrenching the bottle out of his grasp.

"Don't touch my things without my permission," she hissed, her face colouring delectably once more.

Jamie looked a little surprised, and his eyes locked with hers, as if searching for an answer.

Her anger seemed to vanish under his intense gaze, and suddenly the room seemed very small. Deanna became aware of Jamie towering over her, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulder. She felt strangely intimidated by him in ways that others had never made her feel despite their menacing stances. Had she not laughed in Darth Kai's face, despite him trying to strangle her just days before? Jamie was not even threatening: he looked collected, and somewhat taken aback by her sudden move.

She gingerly let go of his hand as if it was a poisonous reptile, averting her eyes.

"I don't sense any danger. Should anything go wrong, I will know immediately. My senses are very acute. Good night, Princess," Jamie said coolly, stepping away from her and leaving the room.

Deanna did not reply, and cursed him silently as the doors closed behind him with a hiss. "I will see how acute they are pretty soon," she murmured spitefully.

Jamie crossed the hall, and, after grabbing his small suitcase, entered his quarters. He set the suitcase on a chair, opened it and grabbed his two other outfits, placing them neatly in the huge wardrobe. He grabbed his few toiletries - soap, a toothbrush and a small comb - and headed for the freshener, only to realise upon opening the cupboard next to the sink that he did not need any of the stuff he had brought with him. Everything that he could possibly need had already been supplied. Jamie laughed dryl, as he scanned the bottles of scented bath gels, liquid soap, shampoo, and many other objects, most of which he had no idea what they could be intended for.

As he stepped under the stream of pleasantly warm water, his mind still focused on the issue of security. He did not like that the Princess' windows faced the opposite side of his own. If someone attempted an attack from the garden side, it would take him at least 15 seconds more to reach her. For a skilled attacker, it would be more than enough time to take her out. While his senses were very acute, he could not rule out such danger. He would have to speak to the Prince about this issue.

Later, he got into bed and ordered the lights out, reaching out through the Force once more and inspecting the surroundings. Everything seemed in order, except for the other living being on the floor, who was still not asleep and moving around her bedroom.

As much as it was difficult, if not impossible, Jamie tried not to think about Deanna. Her dislike for him was so obvious that it made him turn their encounters confrontational at times, although that was not in his nature. But his will was not strong enough. His attempt to fall asleep failed as soon as the princess invaded his thoughts, and Jamie reluctantly indulged himself in remembering the day's events. He remembered stopping the elevator and getting in, seeing her for the first time and his instant fascination and attraction towards her unusual beauty. He remembered her hostility during dinner, the way she had seemed keen to avoid his gaze throughout the evening. She had even not laughed at any of his jokes. And worst of all, her sudden proximity in her chambers, when she had come so close to him and even held his hand...it had almost thrown him off balance for a moment.

 _Stop it, Jamie, stop it_! he ordered himself. It was wrong, no matter how he looked at it. He was here to protect her, and that was all. He should not have these thoughts. He should not feel attraction for anyone. It was not the way of the Jedi. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind. A few moments later, he fell asleep.

* * *

"Sir, Lord Kai is asking permission to come on board," the captain in charge of the bridge reported to Kylo Ren. The Sith apprentice turned to him, his surprised expression hidden behind his dark helmet. That was definitely _not_ part of the plan. Had Plagueis decided to send him? What a nuisance...

Having obeyed his orders, Ren had left the Capital and boarded the Finalizer. He was to set off for Moraband in the next couple of hours in order to prepare his Knights for the attack on the Jedi academy. He watched through narrowed eyes as Kai's shuttle was tracked and brought inside the Finalizer.

About ten minutes later, Darth Kai made his appearance on the bridge, looking curiously around. He ignored the other officers saluting him and came directly to Kylo.

"Where are you heading, Ren?" he asked. "What's going on?"

So he had not been sent by Plageuis. Kylo did not deem necessary to reply to his question.

"What are you doing here, Kai?" he asked instead.

"I was bored waiting for the Supreme Leader to signal that it was time for my mission. I was sure you were up to something. The Supreme Leader asked you to stay behind yesterday."

Ren couldn't believe his ears. He had been _bored_. That had been a good enough reason to him to come here on his own and potentially blow up the entire operation.

"Who told you I was here?" he asked.

A look over Kai's shoulder revealed Hux smirking at him.

"You're supporting the wrong person, General," Kylo said loudly and menacingly.

Hux swept by him, saying in a low voice: "Last I heard, he's the next Sith Lord in line, not you, Ren. So I _am_ actually supporting the right person."

Kai chuckled, but Ren ignored them both.

"Get off this ship now, Kai. You should be in the Capital, waiting for orders from the Supreme Leader. Why are you here instead, interfering with my business?"

The last thing Kylo needed right now was Kai breathing down his neck. He was extremely tense as he was, knowing what his mission was about.

"Look Ren," Darth Kai said, rubbing at his eyes, tiredly, "I don't think the Supreme Leader will ask me to attack his little Princess in the next couple of days. That Jedi padawan may be brainless, but it will take her a couple of days to break him."

Kylo rolled his eyes at Kai's ignorance of Jamie Kenobi's abilities.

"He's not brainless. On the contrary, he's a pain to begin with. She will find it extremely difficult to break him, if that's her intention. I know him well."

Kai smirked. "He did not look like much to me the other day," he said smugly.

"That's why you called for my help? Because you had the upper hand?"

"There were two of them," Kai immediately pointed out, his cheeks heating up.

"Oh, I see. So Rey was a redoubtable adversary then?" Ren mocked him.

Kai seethed. "You're taking things out of the context!" he growled.

They stared at each other for a few moments, Kai glaring daggers at Kylo Ren's implacable mask.

"I would not underestimate my adversaries if I were you. That's the only advice I can give you. I did once, and you know the result," Ren finally said, breaking the staring contest first.

Kai sighed. "So where are you going?"

"Moraband."

The younger apprentice suddenly understood.

"That's where our academy is. You are going to meet up with your _gang_."

Kylo scoffed at the appellative of his knights.

"I was planning to go with you until the Supreme Leader called, but that is too far. I cannot endanger my own mission," Kai said, disappointed.

Ren snorted. "Get going, Kai. Nobody invited you to join us. In your place, I would be careful about what I do to the Princess. You don't want to get on her bad side."

"Should I suck up to her as you do, Ren?" Kai challenged. "Do you think that will help you when the time for war comes?"

Ren stared at him coldly. "Do whatever the fuck you want then, Kai," he said unequivocally.

Darth Kai turned around and walked out, kicking aside a small droid which was going quietly about its business.

Captain Phasma, who had overheard part of the conversation, came to Kylo's side.

"That man will be a lot of trouble."

"I'm afraid so," he acquiesced, staring into space, watching Kai's shuttle heading off in the direction of the Capital planet.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter XI**

It was slightly past midnight when Darth Kai stopped his speeder abruptly not far from the building where he currently resided. He was still angry at Plagueis for making him wait aimlessly, at the Princess for ignoring him, at Kylo Ren for refusing his pledge for an alliance, and most of all at himself for not having already finished his training.

Kai was sure things would turn sour pretty soon, and he wanted to make it out of the upcoming Sith war alive and on top of things. He had a nagging feeling about the fact that Darth Plagueis, Deanna and Ren all had their own personal plans and personal vendettas against each other, and that unsettled him.

He jumped off his speeder and crossed the street, heading in the direction of one of the many similar restaurants in the area to have some late dinner. He entered one of the places with fewer customers and took a seat at one of the tables that had been conveniently placed near the window. He liked watching people pass by. It always put his mind at ease.

He absent-mindedly skipped through the menu, deciding to go for the local dish - meat-filled pancakes - and some light alcohol.

After the droid waiting on him disappeared with his order, he looked through the window again, the wheels in his mind turning rapidly. He had to continue his training. He had to ask, even beg Darth Plagueis if he had to. He had to learn the powerful ways of the Force, the things which were still beyond his reach: become that accomplished swordsman which he was sure Ren had become; use his knowledge of the Force to locate and connect with anyone he wanted throughout the Galaxy; and most importantly, the forbidden fruit for those who were Force sensitive, learning and developing the use of the Force fields.

He knew Darth Plagueis had mastered all these ancient techniques. The Supreme Leader had only used Force fields rarely in his presence and strongly cautioned against them, but Kai knew he was capable of producing them. If Kai were to survive, he needed to learn to use them too. Deanna's raw power and careless use of Force fields was both fascinating and frightening.

Kai scowled, lost in his thoughts. His origins might have been more modest than the ones of his adversaries, but his powers were not. The reason why Plagueis had decided to take him as an apprentice was the exact extent of those powers. Kai knew that the count of midiclorians in his blood was far superior to anyone else that Plagueis had met. Perhaps that was the whole point: despite the almost fatherly attitude he sometimes showed towards him, Plagueis feared Kai's power. He feared what Kai could become. He still hesitated to complete his training and make him his formal successor.

Kai knew Plagueis was disappointed with Ren and tried to keep him at a distance. However, he had no idea where Deanna stood in his plan. He was now aware of Plagueis' short –term plan, but once all of that was achieved, would he prefer her to Kai as his successor? She had tried to kill Plagueis in the past, what stopped her now from trying again? She was a treacherous, poisonous creature, how could she be trusted? How could Plagueis even envisage an alliance with her?

The droid had just reappeared with his order, and Kai was taking the first sips of his drink, when the door of the restaurant opened and his jaw but dropped at the unexpected sight of Luke Skywalker walking in.

Kai almost expected that the Jedi would spot him immediately. He cloaked his presence in the Force as much as possible. To his surprise, nothing happened. Skywalker walked to the counter, exchanged a few words with a droid, which disappeared into the kitchens. The Jedi then turned around and casually swept the place with his glance, his eyes very briefly halting on Kai, who was still holding his glass, trying to look as natural as possible.

A few moments later, a man who seemed to be the owner of the restaurant appeared and handed Skywalker some supply boxes, which the Jedi paid for and carried outside to his speeder.

It took Kai a split second to decide what to do.

The moment Skywalker got into his speeder, Kai put his glass down, paid, and walked out quietly. He saw Skywalker surge into the air, and jumped in his own speeder. The engine sparked to life and Kai hurried after the older man, keeping a careful distance in order to remain inconspicuous.

When the Jedi stopped near a typical Resistance ship and started loading his supplies into it, Kai could not believe his luck. All that elaborate planning to find the whereabouts of the new Jedi academy, while all it took was a mere mistake on Skywalker's part.

Darth Kai parked his speeder in the distance, and after pulling a tracking device out of his torpedo, he waited, watching Skywalker carefully through his binocular device. When the man distanced himself from the ship to talk to a pilot, he used the moment to stealthily plant the tracking device on the Jedi's ship before hastily returning to his speeder. There was no doubt in his mind that, by the way he was loading his ship with supplies, the Jedi was heading back to his quarters. _Life is sweet after all_ , Kai thought.

* * *

The next morning, Darth Plagueis was preparing to leave his apartment for breakfast, when a protocol droid informed him that he had an urgent transmission.

He sighed in annoyance and followed the droid to the underground area of his palace. When the droid left, a silver beam of light pierced the darkness, and Darth Kai's voice reverberated through the room.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, master, but I have made an unexpected discovery," he said, his head bowing slightly.

"What is it?" Plagueis asked impatiently, sensing through the Force the thrill of victory cursing through his apprentice.

"I have discovered the location of the new Jedi academy. Luke Skywalker himself unconsciously led me to it."

"Are you sure of what you are saying?" Darth Plagueis asked, incredulity and hope lacing his words.

"Yes, master, there is no doubt this is the place. I am sending you the coordinates now."

"Well done, my young apprentice," the Supreme Leader praised him.

"What should I do now, master? Should I engage and kill all the Jedi?"

"No!" Plagueis said, almost harshly. "You are to come back here and continue with your mission."

He sensed Darth Kai's confusion, then a speck of anger, as the apprentice raised his gaze.

"But master, there is no need for that now. We have them in the palm of our hand. I can take out Skywalker and the padawans immediately. I'm close to the planet."

"You will do no such thing, Darth Kai," Plagueis said, his cavernous voice sounding threatening this time. "Come back to the Capital immediately. I will take care of the issue."

For a few moments there was no answer, Darth Kai struggling to keep his composure. "Yes, master," he finally acquiesced quietly.

Darth Plagueis cut off the connection. The young man's wild, uncontrolled spirit made him nervous at times.

He pressed another button and a dark-clad figure appeared at the other end of the connection, bowing deeply.

"Kylo Ren," he said. "I have good news."

"Master?"

"Darth Kai has unexpectedly acquired the location of the new Jedi academy. I am sending the coordinates to you now. I want you to go there right away and wipe out all of them. Make sure that _none of them_ escapes this time. I will contact your knights right and send them to join you. The Jedi academy is on a planet close to Moraband."

There was a short pause, and then Kylo Ren replied, his voice neutral behind his mask.

"Understood, master. I will leave right now."

"Good," Plagueis said, interrupting the connection.

He pressed another button, forwarding Kai's information to the Knights of Ren's second in command, with a clear order to destroy the Jedi academy and kill all the Jedi in training.

The Supreme Leader then climbed up the stairs to the living room where breakfast was being served. Jamie Kenobi waited there, his hands behind his back, admiring the vast gardens though the window. Plagueis smirked. If his plans worked out perfectly, the Sith would once again rule the Galaxy, and sooner than he had anticipated.

* * *

For a moment, Kylo Ren remained unmoving, perplexed.

 _Darth Kai had unexpectedly acquired the location of the Jedi academy_. Plagueis' words resounded in his mind. _How was it even possible_? he wondered. Kylo thought he would have had enough time to reach Moraband and take control of the operation, before Deanna would had the vital information.

Something had gone very wrong.

 _Rey_.

He tried to reach her again through the Force, but as he well knew already, she had closed her connection with him since the day they had parted on Dagobah.

Kylo left the communication room before he knew what he was doing. Moraband was close to the Jedi academy. He might already be late.

"General!" he cried, making his way through the Finalizer's personnel on the bridge.

Hux's bored expression changed instantly, and he abandoned the datapad he was consulting upon seeing Ren's state of extreme agitation.

"General, we need to change direction immediately."

"But Ren," Hux started, "we are supposed to..."

"There is no time, General. Here are the new coordinates sent by the Supreme Leader."

Hux took Ren's datapad from his hand and gave it to the captain on the bridge.

"Change of course. Immediate. Full speed."

"Yes, Sir."

Hux came to Ren's side, watching him curiously. He had not seen him in such a state of agitation since the scavenger had escaped from the Finalizer years ago. Even through his helmet, his voice had sounded strained.

"What is happening, Ren?" he asked almost softly.

"None of your concern, General," Kylo replied, his gaze focused on the empty space before them.

"I cannot help if I don't know what is happening," the general pointed out, his eyes narrowing at his rival, but with less malice than usual.

Kylo Ren turned to him, his expression unreadable behind his mask. Hux hated it more than ever, although he could not quite pinpoint why.

"I'll be in my quarters, General. Let me know when we arrive."

Hux did not reply, and quietly watched the knight retreat from the bridge, until the doors closed behind him with a hiss.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter XII**

Rey laid in her bed, her hands under her head, looking unseeingly at the wooden ceiling of her room, as the storm roared outside. She had had trouble sleeping again, and despite all her efforts, she could not reach the one person she needed right now. It had been reassuring to know that there was someone out there, even at the other end of the Galaxy, who cared about her existence.

It was especially difficult now after she had sealed her connection with Kylo Ren and was trying so hard not to think about him. He had warned her to stay out of his path, but all that Rey wanted was to be around him. Now that she had regained her memory, she missed him terribly. It was almost physical, this feeling of emptiness, of loss. On Jakku, Rey had no idea what she had been missing. She had just waited, hopeful that someone she did not quite remember would come back for her. Now that she knew that the person she'd been waiting for was Ben and he had just found additional reasons to stay away from her, it was extremely painful to bear her predicament. She just wished he would come back. Back to the Jedi Order, and back to her. He kept preaching about how he would end the war, but was that even possible? The Sith were stronger than ever, especially with that devil of a man who had attacked her on Valeant. He was a force to be reckoned with, and aggressive to the extreme. Darth Kai. What would Ben do about him? Rey did not have an answer to any of these questions.

She sighed and turned on her side, trying to force herself into sleep. But even with all the meditations Luke had tried to teach her and Jamie had helped her practice, Rey had never been able to quiet her heart and her mind enough to be able to go to a dreamless sleep whenever she wished.

Earlier that day, she had helped Luke unload and arrange the supplies he had brought with him from the Capital. She had made sure all the smaller padawans were in their common dormitory sleeping. Some of them had the nasty habit of sneaking outside during the night to play.

Luke was already on his way back to the capital. He had told her he would be back soon, preferably with Jamie. Rey was now in charge of their small academy with Luke and Jamie away, and with the other two qualified Jedi helping out the Resistance clear the outposts.

She tried again to connect to the person on the other side of the Galaxy, but it was as if she was running head-on into a wall. The connection had been closed completely on the other side. She wondered if something bad had happened to that person.

At that moment she heard the first strange noise and scoffed, thinking that some of the young padawans were up to no good, despite the pouring rain. She listened carefully, and there it was again, the sound of soft footsteps in the corridor. Rey reached out and connected through the Force, trying to figure out what was happening. Her heart stopped upon sensing the immediate danger and she threw herself up, grabbing her lightsaber and holding it with both hands, eyes wide with panic.

There was more than one attacker making their way into the academy. Rey carefully opened the door of her room and peeked outside. There were several tall, five black-clad figures, gliding down the corridor, in the direction of the younglings dormitory.

She barely stifled her scream of panic. She was alone in defending the place, and the young padawans. No matter how much she wished Luke or Jamie was here, she was alone. She had no choice.

She switched off her blade, and slid down the corridor, as the five men reached the double doors to the common dormitory and listened carefully. That's when Rey switched on her blade and pounced on them, trying to use the element of surprise to her advantage.

One of them fell, mortally wounded under her blade, but the others retaliated quickly, firing their blasters at her.

"We take her out first!" one cried over the noise. "Lock them inside."

One of the other black-clad figures blocked the door to the padawans' dormitory, while the rest attacked Rey mercilessly, forcing her to retreat towards the entrance of the building. They fired at her from all directions as she tried her best to parry. She used the Force to raise a table and crush it against one of the opponents, but it only slowed them down. Slowly but surely, she was pushed outside, into the pouring rain, with the four opponents closing in on her.

"Little Rey is still very feisty!" one of them said, and the others laughed.

"You know me? Who are you?" she screamed, deflecting another blast with her sword.

"You don't recognise me, Rey?" one cooed at her mockingly. "I'm so disappointed!"

In panic, she raised her lightsaber again and took a step backwards. That was when she tripped, fell, and rolled to the muddy ground, trying to regain her sword, which had flown from her hand and landed a few meters away from her. She urged the saber to her through the Force. It did not budge. Panic made her lose concentration.

"Take her out. We have no time to waste," one of them, who seemed to be the leader, ordered.

Rey reached again for her saber, but nothing happened. The man closest to her raised his blaster. Rey breathed, sorrow taking over. It was not for her life, but for the others still in the building. At seeing Luke's work reduced to ashes once more. For not seeing Ben ever again. Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought.

The man shot, and Rey closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable, a tear rolling down on her rain-drenched cheek. The last thing she saw behind her closed lids, was Ben's face, as he cradled her in his arms, back on Dagobah.

* * *

Kylo Ren piloted his ship through the storm blindly, relying on the Force. He could not see anything outside, the darkness and pouring rain obstructing everything.

He was mad with worry. They'd came out of hyperspace just half an hour earlier, and he had embarked by himself on the first TIE-Fighter he had found and rushed to the planet. As the ship had come close to the surface, he reached out again through the Force. As expected, Rey was still unreachable, but he was at least able to locate his knights. They were inside a building which was probably the Jedi academy.

He landed his ship as close as the surrounding vegetation allowed and jumped outside, switching on his red lightsaber. He was making his way at top speed towards the building when he sensed the impending danger through the Force. Then Rey came outside, ambushed by four of the knights. She tripped and fell, and Kylo rushed in their direction. He could tell that they would fire any second, and he prepared to intervene. When the closest one to Rey shot, he reached out and stopped the blast mid-air, only inches from her face.

Surprised, the men turned towards him, and Ren rapidly closed the distance, his saber at the ready. He knew he had to kill them, there was no turning back now. They would immediately report to Darth Plagueis that he had disobeyed his orders and obstructed the mission.

The men guessed the danger coming at them. They were still confused in the beginning, carefully watching Ren approach, trying to gauge his real intentions. Then they started firing, but it was too late. "Betrayal!" one of them cried as Kylo Ren charged at them suddenly, and it took just a few elegant, precise moves before the four men were left on the ground, dead.

He then turned to Rey, who had rolled away from the shimmering, deadly blast that was still frozen mid-air, and watched him with wide, incredulous eyes.

He switched off his lightsaber, his chest heaving. He reached through the Force, but there was no immediate danger.

Rey got to her feet, sobbing softly, and came to stand before him, watching water drops trailing down his hideous mask.

Her hands trembled, as she reached up and unclasped it, taking it off and throwing it to the ground, as it was somehow offensive. Revealed, Ren's face shone in the moonlight, pale, in sharp contrast to his dark, wavy mane, his brown eyes sad, a flicker of anger coursing through them as he looked down at Rey, his fists clenching at his sides.

He was about to say something, when Rey's arms flew around his neck, straining due to the difference of height between them. She was trembling, and clutching at his neck desperately; "I thought I would never see your face again," she said over the loud noise of the rain.

Ren stared at her for a moment, discerning the true meaning of the words she had just uttered. Then his anger evaporated. He grabbed her waist, raising her lithe body from the ground. Rey hooked her legs around him, her hands in his hair, studying his dark, gleaming eyes intently.

"Rey, you are driving me mad. Why did you close our connection? I could have warned you they were coming," he said, then, when her slender fingers moved from his hair to trace his face. "Had I been just a moment late..."

He was unable to finish his sentence; Rey silenced him with her lips, assaulting his face with an onslaught of quick kisses. She knew all he had too say. She knew she had been wrong. She was very thankful to him for saving her life. But now she needed him more than ever. Slowly, she let the Force flow through her, and connected with him, just as Kylo captured her lips. His kiss had nothing chaste about it this time. It was hungry, and lustful, and all the things Rey had wished it would be.

 _Don't do this to me again_ , he pushed his thoughts to her, and Rey smiled against his lips: for the first time since she could not even remember, a forgotten feeling of happiness washed over her.

Sensing that they were getting drenched in the rain, Kylo carried her inside.

"Where is your room?" he asked quietly, his dark, deep voice sending a pleasant shiver down her spine.

"Down that corridor." she whispered in his ear, indicating the direction with her hand.

Ren walked to her room and set her on the bed. He spotted her closet, opened it and grabbed at warm blanket and one of her tunics and turned to her. His jaw almost dropped upon seeing Rey's almost naked form. She had already pulled off her drenched clothes and was only wearing her simple undergarments. She was watching him intently, a look of visible want on her face.

Taking advantage of Ren's apparent shock, Rey dropped her wet clothes near the bed and walked up to him, grabbing the blanket and the tunic and throwing them to the ground as well. She reached for him again, locking their lips, her hands tracing his chest timidly, face colouring at her own audacity. Kylo's hand came on instinct to rest at the back of her neck, and he deepened the kiss. He would not have been able to stop her even if he wanted to, Rey's warmth in his arms was the best thing he had felt in a while. At that moment, it became more obvious than ever just how lonely he had been since he had joined the First Order.

Not much was spoken that night. But he knew he would always remember Rey's hesitant touches, the delicious whines and sounds she made as his lips and hands explored every inch of her slender body, the tears she tried to hide as their bodies were joined for the first time, and the ecstasy he read on her face as she learnt the meaning of unbearable pleasure.

* * *

"So, I'm not sure where this leaves my career as a Jedi knight. You know, with me being in love with the enemy and all," Rey observed as the first rays of light made their way through the narrow windows of her room.

She was lying across the bed, her head resting against Kylo Ren's abdomen. She traced his hip bone with her fingers and added jokingly: "Although taking this body into consideration, it may be worth the trouble of embracing the Dark Side."

Kylo smirked, playing with her hair. " _Career as a Jedi_? Let's be serious, Luke Skywalker's plans to rebuild the Jedi Order are ridiculous."

"You never wanted to be like these Jedi that holobooks talk about? You know, the great heroes of the Old Republic and the Clone Wars. The ones who embraced the code and lived by it."

Ren narrowed his eyes at her. "Did Kenobi try to brainwash you as well?"

Rey scoffed. "No. Just saying. I just get this feeling, that none of us is like they picture the Jedi in the books."

"Those were different times. As long as we've lived, there's been a war. Those Jedi were guardians of the peace. Nothing more. We, on the other hand need to face our reality. No one is one hundred percent good or innocent these days," he said.

"I know. I don't belong here, Ben, and I don't belong with Snoke either. But I belong with you," she said seriously, turning her head to look at him.

Ren smiled at her and changed the subject to distract her from a discussion he was just not ready to have.

"Hmmm, let's get back to the more interesting part. Did I just hear that you're in love with me?"

Rey rolled her eyes, and climbed up his body. She kissed him behind his ear before whispering: "It's not like you did not know already, Ben. Don't play innocent."

He smiled, knowing well that he did not even need to reassure her of his own feelings. The way he had ignored Snoke's orders to save her spoke volumes about how he felt.

Rey ground against him suggestively, and he raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "Really, Rey? I thought you'd be tired after a few rounds," he teased, but his tone betrayed his contentment.

She smiled impishly. "Time is short, and the Force is strong with us. I say make the best of it."

* * *

Around midday, Rey walked him back to his ship. He turned to her, grabbing her shoulders, and gave her a look filled with unmasked concern.

"Listen, Rey, I will report to Snoke that everything went well, and that all of the padawans are gone, including you. Nowadays my mind is no longer vulnerable to him. You will be safe, until all of you are transferred by Luke to a new location."

Rey watched him with narrowed eyes. "I don't understand. I thought you'd come back for me."

Ren gave an impatient sigh. "You are not safe with me. You will call Luke back now, and Snoke will think that Luke sensed in the Force that the padawans were killed and rushed to the academy. Luke will bring you and the others to safety when he gets here."

He saw colour rising in Rey's cheeks, but he knew this time it was anger, not passion that provoked it. Pure anger, and he stilled himself for it. After Rey had finally fallen asleep for a while, he had thought of a plan.

"What?" she bellowed, her hands curling into fists at her sides. "Don't you dare leave me alone again, Ben!"

"Rey, like I said, you cannot be with me as long as Snoke is there, and I am not in control of the First Order. You are not safe. Snoke is not interested in taking you as an apprentice. You would be killed on the spot..." he pleaded as calmly as he could.

"Snoke? The First Order?" Rey interrupted him, furious. "Is there any hope that you ever get rid of Snoke? Do you even want to?"

"It will be done Rey, I promise you. I will finish what grandfather started. I will bring this war to an end. We will have peace."

At that moment, he stopped abruptly, as Rey's hand connected painfully to his right cheek.

"Just leave!" she cried. "And take your peaceful thoughts with you. I never want to see you again!"

Ren watched her angrily for a few moments. She certainly had the same temper as when she had been little. It seemed like nothing had changed. For the moment though, the best he could do was to hide her from his master, no matter how mad that made Rey feel. So he turned around and got into his ship without another word.

"Well, if you don't want me around Master Ren, there is someone who might," Rey muttered darkly as she watched the TIE-Fighter disappear from her sight. There was no way Ben Solo was leaving her once again. Rey was not a helpless six year old anymore, and didn't have to obey him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter XIII**

The Princess stirred and winced as one of her handmaidens pulled open the dark, thick curtains, allowing the morning sun pass through.

"Is it time already?" she asked quietly, shielding her eyes from the bright light with her hand.

"Yes, milady. According to your schedule, you have activities planned as of ten o'clock. The prince was very specific that you need to attend all of them."

Deanna rolled in the large bed and climbed out, sighing. Had she sunk so low so as to become Plagueis' marionette? Her father would turn in his grave if he saw this happening. It was a relief, really, that the Sith had not found a way to return as spirits.

Plagueis was going to pay for all of that one day. She would make sure he did.

Then she remembered the most important issue.

"Where is he?" she asked, pushing her stubborn curls away from her face.

"The Prince is..."

"Not the Prince. Him. The Jedi," she clarified, walking towards her sumptuous washroom.

"He is having breakfast with the Prince, milady."

Deanna sighed. So he was still here, not a character in her nightmares, but a real person.

She had had nightmares involving Jamie Kenobi the whole night. Well, at least after she had managed to get to sleep, very late for that matter. The wheels in her mind had kept turning, and her anger had not let her drift off to sleep. Deanna did not want him anywhere around her. His presence was too much to bear, too irritating. He was making her so angry that she feared she would lose her cool, do something stupid, and ruin everything.

After a long shower, she went through the usual ritual of spending over an hour getting ready for the day. While the handmaids were busy pinning her hair in yet another complicated hairdo, she stared in the mirror, thinking intently about how she could possibly get rid of Jamie Kenobi without Plagueis being able to place the blame on her. Killing him was out of the question. Plagueis would not allow that, at least for now. Having Darth Kai kill him was also out of the question. She did not want to owe anything to Kai in the first place. Making his life impossible during the mission was worth a try, although she was sure he was stoic enough to put up with more things than she could possibly think of. Moreover, he did not seem to be one to give up so easily, no matter how difficult his mission might turn out to be. She frowned remembering how he had tried to annoy her the previous evening lingering around her room far longer than necessary. He could also play games, and she did not like that. He was a stubborn one.

An idea crossed her mind and she found herself blushing slightly.

No way.

There was no way could she seduce him, so that he would have to abandon his mission eventually. He had been quite clear that he thought attraction was beneath him. He seemed to have great confidence as to how much self-restraint he could exercise. Still, he had admitted from the first moment they met that he had found her beautiful. He had been drawn to her, she could tell.

Somehow the thought brought her satisfaction, which was short-lived as she remembered her own reaction to the Jedi knight the day before in the elevator.

"Dammit! I don't know what came over me. It's not going to happen again," she said, banging her fist on her makeup table.

The two handmaidens arranging her hair jumped in surprise.

By the time they were done, Deanna felt better, calmer. She was dressed in a navy blue silk dress, and her neck and cleavage were adorned with a mass of golden necklaces and precious stones. It was far too extravagant, even for a princess, but Plagueis was keen on her opulent attire.

As she entered the dining room, she secretly hoped that Plagueis and Jamie had already finished breakfast and left. The Princess was famished, having had little dinner the previous night, too focused on her enemy. However, her hopes were betrayed when her eyes fell on the two men who had finished eating, but were still discussing politics at the table, waiting for her.

Deanna's eyes moved from Plagueis, who seemed to be making a tremendous effort not to scowl at her late arrival, to Jamie. When he turned to her, and stood up, blazing blue eyes meeting hers, all her previous thoughts seemed to evaporate. So did her appetite, as she got butterflies in her stomach, without any apparent reason.

Jamie pulled the chair out for her at Plagueis' side, and she sat down, becoming aware of her heart drumming madly in her chest. Could he read her state of trepidation? Without the Force it was difficult to hide these reactions. She blushed furiously, and tried to hide her reaction by drinking from her glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice.

"We are on a tight schedule today, my dear. We cannot be late," Plagueis said. "Please eat something quickly."

"I am not hungry," she blurted, avoiding looking at her protector. She really felt that way. All her appetite was gone.

Plagueis shrugged and got up from his chair.

"I'll see you downstairs in fifteen minutes," he said irrevocably, leaving the two young people alone.

This was a situation that Deanna had not foreseen.

For a few moments, neither of them said anything, although the princess could feel Jamie studying her.

"You should eat something, milady. You barely touched your dinner last evening," Jamie said evenly.

"You noticed something as trivial as that?" she said bitterly, raising her eyes from the glass to his face. He looked serious and her remark did not seem to bother him.

"It is my duty to keep an eye on you at all times. We, Force users, tend to notice a lot more things than most people, even when we are not specifically focusing on something."

"Amazing," Deanna said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

He raised his hand, and she was surprised to see him use the Force to levitate some freshly cut fruit to her plate. Now, that was a waste of the Force. He certainly liked to show off.

She was still somewhat scowling, but he just stared at her, an calm, friendly expression on his handsome face.

"I sense we got off on the wrong foot, milady. My remark in the elevator and my behaviour yesterday evening were out of place. I sincerely apologize," he said. "I hope we will get along very well from today on. I will do my best to ensure your safety, and at the same time endeavour to be as invisible as possible. I know that you have no desire for additional security."

"Why don't you just focus on finding the assassin instead?" she countered.

"That is not in my mandate, milady. I will only do what I was instructed to do: ensure your safety at all costs," Jamie said simply, and cheerfully smiled at her.

"Please eat something," he added, grabbing his datapad from the table and starting to read, as if in an attempt to give her some privacy.

Deanna fought the urge to scoff at his speech. She did not need to use the Force to know he was anything but sincere. He just wanted to get the job done and ensure her cooperation along the way. _But_ _two could play that game_ , she thought. Making his life difficult seemed like the best choice right now.

* * *

On the way to the prince's first scheduled meeting, Jamie, true to his promise, tried to make himself as invisible as possible. It proved challenging though, because the prince kept engaging him in conversation. From time to time, Jamie's eyes flickered to Deanna, who seemed keen on ignoring him.

She'd somehow done it again. Despite the downright unfriendly attitude, she was as mesmerising as the previous evening. He had somewhat hoped that his fascination with her would disappear after a good night's sleep, but he had been proven wrong. Once she had entered the room, he had realised that the attraction he felt was still there. It had just gotten worse.

That morning he had woken up early and spent one hour meditating, as he usually did. Meditation helped him clear his mind and spirit and keep his senses open. It was the way he always prepared for the day.

After that exercise, it had become quite obvious to him how to handle the fragile situation with Deanna. She was a spoilt brat, so he just needed to act like a wise, balanced person around her. He would not let her get to him, and he would keep any snarky remarks to himself.

Happy with his plan, Jamie had then gone down for breakfast and had had a great conversation with the prince. That was until Jamie had mentioned the security issue he had discovered the previous evening. To which the prince, after a few moments of consideration had said: "Well, the situation is similar on all floors: two apartments on each floor, facing different directions. You will have to share Deanna's apartment. I will ask for the living room to be reshuffled into another bedroom."

For a moment, Jamie had frozen, anticipating the princess' reaction to her father's plan.

"But, your Highness..."

"It will be done before we return tonight."

Now he wondered whether the prince intended to let Deanna know about this arrangement any time soon. He watched with interest as the princess walked with royal grace in front of him, her sumptuous dress swaying elegantly behind her, her long hair adorned with precious stones shining beautifully in the sunlight.

They were about to meet some of the other senators, who had not been supportive of the Prince's candidature so far. As the Prince and Deanna went inside with their regular security, Jamie quickly inspected the area. Everything seemed in order.

He then entered the conference room where the meeting was taking place, and stood by the door with the other members of the prince's security force. Discussions were heated, but he focused on his target. To his surprise, the princess was acting completely different than he had seen her act before. Unlike the previous evening, she was fully involved in the talks. She did not hesitate to argue and smile at the same time, to firmly contradict her interlocutors, and to tactfully retreat from the discussion for a couple of minutes when she had pushed her current subject too far. Charming as she was, she soon had all the senators wrapped around her little finger. Jamie smiled in spite of himself, amazed to see this side of hers he had not imagined existed.

Once or twice her eyes covertly flickered to Jamie and met his gaze, but she always looked away quickly, blushing slightly. Her behaviour was intriguing and made him wonder whether she felt it too - the overwhelming attraction he felt.

However, he had his answer a few minutes later once they were seated inside the speeder that would take them to the Senate, and the prince decided it was the moment to announce to her the new arrangements in the palace.

"It is a serious security problem," the older man argued. Deanna's hands curled into fists in her lap. Her eyes were throwing daggers at her father.

"I will be invisible, as I promised, milady," Jamie added, watching for her reaction, hoping somewhere deep inside that she would go with the arrangement.

At first he, himself, had been reluctant to the idea. As the day progressed though, the idea grew on him. The thought of being so close to her was oddly pleasant.

She looked at him sharply. Jamie urged himself to look indifferent.

"I understand if you do not wish for me to be there, milady. But there are risks that even I, as a powerful Force user, would not be able to prevent at a distance. I should be as close to you as possible to be able to protect you," he said, giving her a polite smile.

Deanna's gaze as it lingered on him was hard to decipher.

"I understand, Master Kenobi," she said and turned to the prince as the speeder stopped in front of the Senate building. "May I have a word with you privately, father?"

"Of course," the prince replied, and offered his arm to her.

Jamie lingered at a reasonable distance, trying to focus on his surroundings, checking for any signs of danger, although he was rather curious as to the topic of their conversation.

"You are really taking this little revenge of yours too far, _father_ ," Deanna said to Plagueis when they were far enough away from the Jedi knight.

Plagueis smirked and petted her hand with sick satisfaction.

"We've only just begun, my dear," he said. "I know his presence must be driving you mad. Also the fact that you are prevented from killing him and taking your revenge."

"Ah," she remarked. "Here comes the truth. It's not so much about breaking him, it's more about testing me."

"Took you long enough," Plagueis said sweetly.

"Rest assured that you will pay for this, more than you can imagine," she said, her tone dead serious.

"You think after living as long as I have lived, I am still frightened of threats like that?" he retorted, turning towards the speeder. "I would learn the virtue of patience if I were you, my dear. Many more tests are still to come."

He waved to Jamie, who joined them a few moments later.

The princess and Jamie watched the chancellor-to-be's speech in the plenary from a distance, then attended a reception, then a fund-raising activity. As night fell, they returned to the palace to change for the evening's event, a posh concert downtown.

"I will just stay for a few minutes at the beginning, I'm rather tired," the prince announced as they took the stairs up to their respective apartments. "You two fill in for me, and enjoy the night."

The two young people exchanged an uncomfortable look, then Deanna hurried up the stairs and entered her room. As it was, she remained in the doorway, agape. Her whole living room had already been reshuffled into another bedroom. _Damn the droids' efficiency_ , she thought, crossing the room and continuing to her own.

Jamie smiled to himself realizing what had happened in their absence, and followed the princess inside. His few items had already been brought in by the droids and were hanging in the wardrobe neatly.

Again, he wished he had brought some proper attire. The best he had were black trousers and a simple dark tunic. They were decent, but not good enough for a posh concert in the Capital.

 _Too bad. They will have to do_ , he thought as he retrieved the items from the wardrobe.

He was planning on taking a shower back in his bathroom across the hall when he noticed that his toiletries were missing. The droids must have left them behind.

Jamie prepared to cross the corridor when he heard Deanna's voice behind him.

"Are these yours?" she asked, holding his comb and toothbrush accusingly.

Jamie walked up to her and grabbed his things, glaring back at her.

"Yes, milady," he said curtly, turning his back to her and walking back to the other room.

"Don't even think about using my washroom," she said, following him in the corridor.

 _Of course not, you selfish brat,_ he thought. Back at the academy, fourteen padawans had shared one bathroom, and they had not complained.

He scoffed and tried to open door to his former apartment, but to his utter amazement, it was locked. Annoyed, he tried to open it using the Force, while Deanna continued to stare curiously at him. The door still did not budge.

"It's locked," he stated the obvious.

"So?" she said. "Just kick it down. It should not be that difficult for you to open something as simple as a door, _Master Kenobi_."

Jamie scowled at the use of the title, the disdain in her tone of voice belittling what it stood for. He took a calming breath, remembering his earlier resolutions, and turned around.

"I would not dream of damaging your father's property, princess," he said pleasantly. "Therefore, I am sure, understanding as you are, that you will accept that we must share the other washroom."

Before an angry Deanna had time to react, he swept by her and re-entered the apartment heading for the washroom.

"Master Kenobi!" she called furiously, following him. "You cannot..."

Too late.

"You dim-witted, brainless...open the door!" Deanna called, furious, banging her first on the door.

"I'll just take a shower, milady. It will not take long, I promise!" Jamie called from the washroom over the noise of water running.

He decided to take more time than necessary, though. Normally, he was extremely fast, but the situation was just too much fun.

When he finally stepped out wearing his evening clothes, he only found two handmaidens in Deanna's room, both busy with sorting out what the Princess should wear for the occasion.

The women watched him with amused gazes, as he emerged from the washroom.

"Where is the princess?" he asked.

"Milady is discussing something with his Highness," one of them replied. It was Lady Coralia. "You are the padawan in charge of my lady's protection?"

Jamie was a little offended at her remark. "I am a Jedi knight," he corrected gently.

"Forgive me, master Jedi. With respect, but you look like a padawan, and you are so young too," the older woman apologized.

Jamie blushed. "I just didn't have time to take care of my hair," he said.

"Would you like me to do that for you?" she asked.

He timidly acquiesced.

About an hour later, Jamie was waiting in the entrance hall of the palace when the prince made his appearance. He was wearing an elegant velvet coat and looked a little better than before when they had arrived. Jamie guessed he had managed to take a nap in the meantime. In reality, Darth Plagueis had drunk some of his own brewed elixirs that helped him restore his energy fairly quickly. He had had yet another heated discussion with Deanna over the new lodging arrangements, but he had stood his ground.

He was keen on making her life as miserable as possible, without thinking for a moment that the princess could feel any attraction for the young Jedi.

"Oh, I see a change, young man," Plagueis remarked, noting Jamie's padawan thin braids were gone and his short blonde hair was styled in the way most noble young men were wearing their hair these days.

"It was time. Everyone refused to believe that I was a real Jedi knight," Jamie replied modestly.

"Is your new room comfortable enough?" the older man asked, a strange glint in his eyes.

"Yes, your Highness. It will allow me to be close enough to protect the princess," Jamie replied, a little bewildered himself that the Prince was not worried at all about leaving his precious daughter so close to a young man. Her security was probably more important to him than any other considerations.

Said princess was just descending the staircase ,dressed in yet another fabulous dress. She was yet again wearing white, Jamie's favourite colour, and the dress fell fluidly around her, complimenting her perfect curves. Jamie looked away towards the door stubbornly, pretending not to notice anything. Deanna took the prince's offered arm, and swept by him without a word.

Jamie sighed. This mission was getting much more difficult than he had anticipated.

The concert was taking place in a new venue in the city centre. The time before the show was spent by the Prince in the sumptuous entrance hall of the concert venue, shaking hands of various people and introducing his daughter. Jamie trailed behind them at a respectable distance, trying to focus on the surroundings without letting Deanna leave his sight. He noticed how he was not the only one under her charm, on the contrary. While he watched, he realised just how much he disliked that. Had she ever been his, he would be mad with jealousy half of the time. The thought made him freeze in his tracks. _What was he thinking_? Was he losing his mind? He was in no position to think like that of any woman, least of all of her.

The Prince then headed for his balcony, where they sat through the first part of the show. The music, the decor, the colourful lights, and the artists did not call to Jamie at all. The whole show was too eclectic and loud for his taste. Halfway though the first part, the prince excused himself, leaving Deanna and Jamie alone to enjoy the spectacle.

Jamie's eyes travelled to the princess' profile, preferring much more to watch her than the show. She seemed focused on what was going on on the stage before them. That was, until she looked up and saw something or someone across the room at another balcony. She froze for a moment, and Jamie looked in the same direction. A tall man, clad in black, his back to them, was just leaving the balcony across from theirs. Jamie could not see his face, but he sensed that something was off. It was too late, though. As he turned to look at the princess, she was already gone, the door of the balcony closing behind her.

* * *

"Have you lost your mind?"

Darth Kai smirked at Deanna's attempt to push him against the wall in one of the performers' changing rooms. Fortunately the room was empty. He let her, amused at how powerless she seemed when she could not use the Force.

She glared at him when he did not reply and he thought she was too delicious for her own good.

"Do you think this is funny?" she asked.

"Oh, it sure is, princess. Why so distressed?"

"The Jedi could recognise you," she hissed. "Did you forget you duelled on Valeant? What are you doing here?"

"Hmmm, let's see," Kai cooed, grabbing her waist and reversing their positions, towering over her. "I came to let you know that your _father_ has decided it's time for me to intervene, as of tomorrow. I thought you should, you know...be prepared."

Deanna watched him with narrowed eyes. It was not clear to her what he was up to. His blue eyes glinted playfully, and he raised a hand to push some rebel curls away from his face, still smiling.

"Princess, are you in there?" Jamie's voice was heard from outside.

"Wow, he's a fast one," Darth Kai commented, amused, lazily raising one hand to block the door. "Anyway," he continued, as Jamie drummed his fist uselessly on the door and continued calling her name, "my identity will be revealed tomorrow when I take action."

Deanna looked at door, suddenly amused at Jamie's useless struggle.

"The door is blocked! I can't open it!" she called out to him.

She smiled and Darth Kai brushed his fingers against her cheek. "Come with me tonight," he said in a firm, convincing tone. "I know you must be dying to get away from the palace and Plagueis."

She was silent for a moment, before Jamie called her name again. Darth Kai frowned as he felt a shift in the Force when the Jedi tried to unblock the door in turn. He held her gaze though.

"I am," Deanna admitted quietly. "More than you think. But not tonight. I don't want to ruin Plagueis' plans. Go!"

He continued to hold her gaze for a long a moment, then dropped his hand from her face and walked away, opening the window and jumping outside easily. A moment later, the door flew open. Jamie stood in the doorway, two security guards behind him.

"Thank you, master Kenobi," Deanna said, sweeping by him and out.

Jamie glared at her back then looked around, spotting the open window. He went to examine it. They were very high above the ground. There was no one in sight. Still, he was almost sure she had met with that man. Why else would she have suddenly run out? It was all very strange.

At the break, the princess told him she was tired and wanted to return home. They travelled back in silence. Jamie felt strangely tense, a feeling of frustration steadily welling up inside of him. He struggled to clear his mind. They arrived at the palace and he got out of the speeder. Behind him Deanna tried to do the same, but the long dress she wore got in the way. For a moment she lost her balance, but before she realized what was happening, Jamie's arms were around her, and he was holding her close to his body. Close enough for her to feel the strength of his arms, and to catch the subtle, but heady smell of his cologne. It was a bit intoxicating, and the Princess pulled away after a moment, although Jamie had not let go of her. His hands travelled slowly from her shoulders, down her back and settled on her hips, steadying her. For the first time in her life she felt something unsettling, something she had not felt for Darth Maul. Now, as she struggled to get away from Jamie she was confronted with her own desire. Her eyes widened, as she felt her body reacting, and it took a tremendous effort on her part not to give into her instincts and wrap her own arms around him.

Jamie's expression was inscrutable when he let go of her.

"Milady," he said firmly, in a detached manner. "I cannot protect you if you run away from me. It's your choice whom you want to meet. I will not interfere with that. But I think you should be aware of the dangers."

It took her a moment to process what he had said, seeing that she was still fairly dizzy in his proximity. His words brought her back to reality. She pushed him out of her way. "I hate you, I really do," she snapped darkly, climbing the stairs to their now common lodgings.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter XIV**

"Kylo Ren," Darth Plagueis' voice echoed through the dark, empty communication room on Moraband. "Why haven't I heard from you in such a long time?"

"Communications were disrupted here on Moraband since yesterday evening, master. There was a very violent sandstorm. I could not get through to you," Ren lied effortlessly, kneeling in front of his master's holographic projection.

Plagueis got to the subject: "What news do you bring?"

"Everything went according to your will, my master," the young man answered, his voice assured. "All padawans are gone. The only surviving Jedi are the ones in the Capital."

Plagueis' face contorted into a satisfied leer. "That is probably why I heard that Luke Skywalker has left the Capital. I felt a vague disturbance in the Force which I could not just pinpoint last night."

"If it was around midnight, then it was caused by the padawans' death, my master. Skywalker must have felt it too."

It had been caused by his betrayal, but Plagueis could not know that from all that distance, in spite of his extraordinary powers.

"You've done well, Lord Ren. I am very pleased. You should remain on Moraband until further notice. The atmosphere in the Capital remains...delicate."

"Yes, my master."

With that the connection broke, and Kylo Ren's reverent expression changed to one of relief. He had done it. Plagueis had not sensed anything out of order. Of course, if his master were to contact his former knights there might be an issue. Kylo smiled bitterly at the thought. But as far as he knew, the dark lord had no need for them for now.

He went out of the communication room and walked towards his quarters, lost in thought. So Rey had called Luke. At least in this she had listened to him. He was very worried for her. The state of utter anger he had left her in, combined with her native stubbornness could have been disastrous. He had no choice, though. He had to leave her behind, otherwise her life would be in danger. Why couldn't she see that everything he was doing was in order to keep her safe? Why did she refuse to trust in him and just lie low for now?

 _Because she's Rey, that's why_ , he reminded himself. _She did not even listen when she was a little girl._

This time it could cost her life, though. He hoped that Luke could talk some sense into her, at least until Kylo managed to take over the First Order.

Kylo had prepared himself for that moment for a long time. But chance did not seem to be on his side. He would have to destroy not only Plagueis now, but also the other Sith.

He did not yet know what to do about Deanna. She could be a powerful ally to begin with. Kylo would just have to see.

"Ren, shall we prepare to leave for the Capital?"

He turned around and saw General Hux behind him. "What are the orders from Leader Snoke?"

"We go back tonight," Kylo replied. He had to meet his potential ally before he proceeded with his plans. Plagueis' orders mattered little to him now, but there was no need for Hux to know that.

* * *

"You know it is quite impossible for you to be here, my young apprentice, and still here you are," Darth Plagueis said, raising his eyes from his book, without hiding his annoyance.

Darth Kai took a few steps in his master's direction and bowed.

"I'm sorry for not following your orders to the letter, master. I really am. But the fact is, I could not stay away. I need your help and guidance."

Plagueis put his book on the side table near him, and raised an eyebrow at his apprentice.

"Do you now?"

"Yes, master," Kai said. He looked troubled, and Plagueis wondered what was going on with him this time.

He signalled to his apprentice to take a seat in front of him.

"First of all, let me just assure you that the Jedi cannot sense my presence. I have checked this with Luke Skywalker. He was not able to feel that I was in the same restaurant as he was last evening. I am perfectly capable of shadowing my presence in the Force."

Plagueis laid back, looking unconvinced.

"The fact that one Jedi was not able to feel your presence does not mean that the same will apply to the Jedi boy. He's stronger than you think."

Darth Kai hesitated for a moment. He did not want Plagueis to know he had already put his plans in danger the previous evening when he had gone to see Deanna at the concert.

"He's currently sleeping, milord and has no idea I am here," he replied.

Plagueis smirked. He had noticed his apprentice's hesitation, but preferred to let the matter slip.

"So?"

"I have come to ask you to complete my training, master," Kai said simply.

"It will have to wait," Plagueis replied, annoyed.

He could not believe the nerve Darth Kai had. Ignoring his orders, doing whatever...the boy was insolent and completely out of control. If not for his power, Plagueis would have gotten rid of him a long time ago.

"You have to, milord. I have the most gruesome premonition that both Kylo Ren and the princess will betray you. I am the only one who will stand at your side when that moment comes. But for me to be able to defeat them, I will need to fulfil my training first. You know this to be true."

"You insolent boy!..." Plagueis began angrily, but Darth Kai kneeled in front of him.

"Please listen to me, my master," he pleaded heatedly. "I also need a fair chance in this battle. Deanna is too powerful. I've seen what she can do. I must learn to use the Force fields. I will not stand a chance against her in a duel. And you completed Kylo Ren's training too. His skills with the lightsaber are far beyond mine. It's not fair!"

Plagueis sat back in his chair, looking a little more appeased. He understood well that Kai was worried. Despite likely being the Force user with the highest count of midiclorians among them, he was also the most vulnerable for the reasons he had just stated.

"Things are not as dramatic as they look, my young apprentice," he said. "Deanna may be powerful, but she has never been trained in battle. My former apprentice, Darth Sidious, did not want his precious daughter to be involved in Sith business. She is strong with the Force and he has taught her its uses, but no battle techniques. He always chose other apprentices to fight his battles. Deanna was supposed to come onto the scene only after Darth Sidius took command of the Republic. Unfortunately for both of them, Sidious' plans of forging a dynasty collapsed when he thought he lost Deanna. It was my revenge on him, to make him believe he had lost the only being he cared about in this world."

"That was brilliant indeed," Darth Kai said in awe.

"With regards to Kylo Ren, he is very unpredictable," Plagueis continued. "There is still light in him, and just like his grandfather, he has limitless ambition. But that's all. Darth Vader also had limitless potential, and skills to match that ambition. It's not Ren's case. But it is your case."

"Then show me, master. Show me the full power of the Dark Side," Darth Kai urged him again. "I will not disappoint you."

The Sith Lord studied him for a long moment.

"I will complete your training, but you have to be aware of one thing: we all have our weaknesses. We just have to make sure they do not overwhelm us." the older man said. "Do you understand, Darth Kai?"

The apprentice knew what Plagueis was referring to. He did not need any particular explanation.

"I will do my best. I can't hide from you that I do desire her, master. She's out of my reach and a challenge for me. But that is all," he replied honestly, his face darkening.

"Deanna is dangerous. Her beauty is a weapon that she has used many times. She was almost fatal to me once. She's also merciless and will not hesitate to destroy you." Plagueis said, a bitter smile on his aged face.

"It's normal for the Sith to feed on their passions. It makes us stronger. Just don't let it overcome your judgement. Whatever you do, your interest must prevail."

"I understand, master."

"I will resume your training the day after tomorrow. You must go on with your mission first."

"May I kill the Jedi? The padawans are gone. There is just him and Luke Skywalker now. There is no point in dragging this..."

"Not just yet," Plagueis said, shaking his head. "His presence is of use to me. It's part of my revenge against Deanna."

Darth Kai nodded: "Very well, then. Tomorrow evening I will take action as agreed."

When the Sith Lord did not bother to reply, he got up, bowed, and left the room.

As he descended the staircase he thought about what his master had said about the princess. Plagueis was certainly exaggerating because of his near death experience. But that had been all Lord Sidious' plan. What Kai had seen in her mind confirmed that she was not as ruthless as Plagueis had described her. Her feelings for Darth Maul had been genuine. If Kai could just make her change the object of her affections...Even his master agreed that feeding on one's passions was not an issue for the Sith. So he had encouraged him in his pursuit in a way, Kai concluded...

* * *

So she hated him, Jamie thought, as he splashed cold water on his face the next morning. He stared at his own reflection in the mirror, wondering what exactly it was about him that made him so unlikeable in her eyes. The mirror was unable to provide him with an answer, and he exited the washroom, his eyes lingering on the silhouette of the young woman sleeping in the large bed opposite the window. The satin sheets were tangled around her body, and her long, curly hair was splayed over the pillows around her.

Jamie wrenched his gaze away and walked decidedly to his room. She hated him and she had seemed genuine when saying it. Well, good thing she had made that clear. It really was a relief, now he would find it much easier to deal with the whole situation and his own contradictory feelings.

He was still meditating when he sensed Deanna wake up. Her handmaidens had not made their appearance yet. Sensing her moving around the room did nothing to help his concentration. Less than half an hour later, she stepped into his room, and Jamie was forced to open his eyes. Polite knocking on the door was probably not one of her skills. She was not as dolled-up as the previous days and was wearing a white satin dress and no jewellery. Jamie noted with a certain amount of irritation that he had been completely wrong thinking that it was her many cosmetics and make up that rendered her so beautiful.

Deanna's lips curled up in a sardonic smile at his attempt to meditate. Jamie ignored her and got up, ready to follow her out.

"Please, master Kenobi, just continue with your...whatever is it that you are doing. I will just go downstairs for breakfast. No need for you to accompany me," she said.

Jamie did not answer. He summoned his coat using the Force, and wrapped it around him. They walked to breakfast in tense silence.

Plagueis was amused at the stubborn silence that continued during breakfast. Deanna was obviously very mad. He knew that at some point he would have to allow her to kill the young Jedi, but not yet. The Sith Lord actually enjoyed his company. However, he was pretty sure by now that Jamie Kenobi could never be turned to the Dark Side. It really was a pity.

"We will visit an exhibition that might interest you, young man," he said. "It's a collection of lightsabers, and some of them belonged to legendary warriors."

Jamie's interest was instantly piqued. He did not notice the shadow that passed over the princess' face, as she continued eating.

"I would definitely be interested to see it, your Highness."

Plagueis' schedule proved to be even more demanding than the previous day. By noon, he had already taken part in two conferences and had given a speech at an assembly dealing with travel safety. In the afternoon he met with a couple of peers, looking for more support on their part. Deanna and Jamie followed him everywhere and acted as was expected of them. Unlike the previous day, Jamie noted that she did not look at him once. His only conclusion was that she had not appreciated him seeing her meet her secret lover, or whoever that man had been. It wasn't like Jamie cared who he was since she had not seem to consider that man dangerous, and had rushed to meet him. Perhaps she thought he might tell the prince about her secret rendezvous. He did not find any other explanation as to why she had become even more unfriendly to him after the previous night's events.

As the day turned into night, they arrived at the Museum of Fine Artefacts, which was hosting the exhibition on lightsabers and other weapons from the time of the Old Republic. To Jamie's awe, some of the lightsabers did indeed belong to legendary warriors. He could barely hide his fascination when he saw Master Yoda's lightsaber on one of the shelves.

"Incredible," Jamie said, studying the item as closely as he could.

"Come my dear, let me show you something," Plagueis said, guiding Deanna to the next shelf. A double-blade lightsaber was on display and under it there was a label, but she did not need to read it to know to whom it had belonged.

Deanna stayed there glued to the spot, while Plagueis chuckled and went away to discuss with other people, secretly enjoying his little moment of triumph.

After spending more than fifteen minutes staring at Master's Yoda weapon and analysing it from all angles, Jamie unwillingly decided to move to the next item. To his surprise, the princess was glued in front of the neighbouring shelf, and he almost ran into her.

"I thought you'd be bored by now of these artefacts, milady," Jamie said as she stared face-stoned at the lightsaber in front of her. She did not respond, and he turned his head to read the label, a soft smile coming to his face as he did so. Darth Maul's lightsaber.

Jamie knew the story of his great uncle's remarkable victory over the Sith apprentice. In fact, rumour had it that Darth Maul had been a very accomplished swordsman, and Obi-Wan had still managed to defeat him. He had always been very proud of his lineage, as proud as the Jedi code allowed. One had to be proud of his own deeds, not of someone else's. Lineage provided an advantage only if you used the inherited skills well.

As Deanna ignored him completely, he moved to the next item, keen to come back and see Yoda's saber once more before the delegation left the exhibition.

Later that evening, on their way back to the Palace, as they sat in their speeder, the Prince suddenly said, looking at Deanna:

"It's such a beautiful night. If I were young like you, I would go for a walk. It's still early, and the air is so warm and pleasant."

The princess tilted her head and stared at the starry sky. She knew Plagueis was giving her a signal. It was not a suggestion and had nothing to do with the warm, pleasant spring night.

It was time for Darth Kai to intervene, and Plagueis did not want to be anywhere around them when it happened. She braced herself for the worst, seeing that. He would hurt her then. She had thought about it once or twice during the day, but her thoughts kept coming back to someone other than Kai. Someone she was trying not to think about, and who was staring expectantly at her from the opposite seat right now.

"It's actually a wonderful idea, father, seeing that we are not even far from the palace. Driver, stop the speeder!" she called.

She opened the door, and stepped outside without giving Jamie so much as a glance, but the Jedi knight had already jumped out the opposite door and onto the pavement to follow her.

Darth Plagueis smirked and signalled the driver to carry on.

Jamie kept his distance from the princess, walking quietly behind her. Deanna decided to pay him no mind, focusing instead on her surroundings, wishing she could use the Force to locate Darth Kai. Her stomach was a bundle of nerves, knowing she held no power in this game at the moment, and that she could not prevent him from hurting her. He had sworn to do so, and she had no reason to doubt his resolve. She was not afraid of Kai as such, but hated to feel so powerless.

She shivered, and blamed it on the air around her growing chilly as night fell.

"Are you alright, milady?" she heard Jamie's voice behind her.

Of course he could sense her discomfort. However, his voice had a reassuring effect on her, and she turned to face him for the first time since that morning.

"I would prefer that you did not walk behind me," she said.

"Do you want me to walk in front of you, then, milady?" he asked, his tone light, but with some sarcastic undertone.

 _Certainly not_ , she thought. The last thing she needed was to be forced to stare at him as he walked with that lithe, athletic grace, developed through years of hard training. She'd tried to avoid looking at him the whole day for a reason.

She waited for him until Jamie joined her, and walked at her side.

"The Prince is right, it's very beautiful tonight indeed," he said.

Deanna sighed, and for the first time she actually looked around her without watching out for Darth Kai's wrath.

They were walking a quiet path through the residential area that hosted several palaces and manors similar to that of the prince. Two rows of tall trees joined their branches above the pebbled path they walked. There was almost no one in the street at this time. Rarely, a speeder would pass by. The area was not commonly circulated in the first place, given that there were so few residences around. The palaces were surrounded by large gardens, and the air around them smelled pleasantly of flowers.

"Yes, it is," she acquiesced.

Jamie gave her a sideways glance. She seemed more relaxed and he ventured further, trying to alleviate some of the animosity between them.

"I will not tell anything to your father about what happened last evening at the concert," he said, and Deanna knew he was referring to her meeting Kai. "You have my word, milady."

She threw him glance as he continued: "Earlier at the exhibition you were fascinated by an item. I did not see you look at anything else."

Deanna had some difficulty to find an answer to his remark. "It was a double-bladed saber. Different from all the others at the exhibition."

"It has its advantages and disadvantages," Jamie said, happy to see she was finally conversing with him. "It takes a greater degree of skill to handle it, but it's very useful when duelling more than one opponent at a time."

Deanna listened to his explanation with some interest, seeing that she had never witnessed Darth Maul actually using the weapon. But she could imagine him skilfully duelling with that saber, and it brought a smile to her face.

"He was probably very skilled."

"Darth Maul? The books I've read praised his swordsmanship a lot," Jamie said.

Deanna wrapped her arms around herself. It was really getting chilly and her satin dress did not help with the dropping temperature.

"Spring is always a little tricky. Sometimes very warm during the day but cold at night," Jamie suddenly said, removing his soft wool coat and halting to drape it around her shoulders.

"Thank you, master Kenobi," she said a little stiffly, intimidated by his proximity, her hands wrapping the coat around her, enjoying the remnants of Jamie's warmth on her skin.

"The whole art of lightsaber duel takes years to master," Jamie continued.

"I would think so," she replied absentmindedly, simply enjoying his presence and the first normal conversation they had had since they had met.

"Why did you choose to become a Jedi?" she asked him.

"I did not really choose," he admitted. "My aunt brought me to the academy when I was very young. But it became clear relatively quickly after that that it was indeed my vocation."

Hearing his answer, she could not help teasing him: "It's weird that you should consider it a vocation," she said meditatively. "After all, nowadays you are no longer an Order, are you? And you have been obliged to take sides. The Jedi used to be guardians of the peace, and that was all. Today you have become soldiers of the Resistance, or am I wrong?"

Jamie looked at her with surprise.

"My master had to destroy the Sith and help destroy tyranny. He's fought the reign of tyranny as long as I've known him," he said.

Oh, how she would have loved to have this discussion, Deanna thought. Of course the Jedi believed that they held the key to the truth.

"Who are you going to fight, then, master Kenobi?" she asked, her blue eyes glinting with mischief.

Jamie smiled and stopped in front of her, pulling the coat more snugly around her. "The First Order. I will see the end of it," he said seriously, almost like a promise.

 _Well, I also want to see Plagueis gone_ , she thought wryly. _We might have a short-term common objective after all._

"Oh, really? Seeing the end of the First Order...Sounds like a very simple thing to do, considering that they already rule more than half of the Galaxy," she teased again, unconsciously flirting with him, her lips curling up in a genuine smile.

Jamie gave her a bright smile in return, and the young woman felt her heart skip a beat. Her face darkened when he stared intensely at her, and embarrassed she let her eyes wonder over his shoulder.

Jamie was very tall, but not tall enough for her not to see Darth Kai land smoothly on the path behind them. He had jumped with ease over one of the stone fences behind Jamie. The expression on her face must have changed, or Jamie himself felt the presence of the Sith apprentice, because he whirled instantly away from her, activating his saber.

"Darth Kai," Jamie acknowledged.

The Sith apprentice's eyes moved from the Jedi obstructing his way, to the real object of interest behind him. He did not switch on his lightsaber, but kept glaring at Deanna.

The princess' expression was not one of fear, but more like expectation, as if she was waiting for his next move. Of course, the Jedi could not see her, but Kai thought she was playing her part really badly. That, or she just trusted Kenobi's abilities to protect her too much. He needed to change that.

"Princess, we meet again," he stated, irony clear in his voice.

"You will not hurt her," Jamie said, raising his lightsaber.

"I beg to differ," Kai replied. His next move was to produce a Force field, directed at the Jedi. His skills with such use of the Force were quite limited, and he knew he could not keep his focus for long, but Kai was keen on intimidating Jamie, if only for a moment.

The air cracked electricity around them while Jamie parried the dangerous Force field with some difficulty. He had never seen someone produce them, but had learned that the Sith in particular were able to use the Force that way. Witnessing such brute force was something he had never expected.

Deanna shun away from the Force field, a glint of amusement in her eyes at the display before her. Even if he had not finished his training yet, Kai liked to use his powers far beyond his level, at the risk of draining himself.

Jamie held on to his saber, not backing away in the slightest, but hoping that his weapon was sturdy enough to sustain this type of raw power. Kai eventually lost focus and the Force field disappeared gradually. He activated his green lightsaber and pounced on Jamie, the two luminous blades crashing rapidly together.

The Jedi knight found that he still had better duelling skills than his rival, but this time Kai proved to be a more redoubtable adversary than he had on Valeant. He was more aggressive, and much less predictable. Jamie had much more difficulty reading his next move. Although the use of the Force was more important in a duel than physical strength, Jamie had to admit that the Sith apprentice was difficult to fend off when engaging at close range. His intimidating stature and build made him formidable when their sabers locked.

At some point during the confrontation Darth Kai managed to Force push Jamie away from him and into the stone fence surrounding the closest manor. Jamie's right shoulder and head collided painfully with the wall behind him and the fall made him dizzy for a few moments. That gave Darth Kai an opening to attack the princess.

Deanna did not have any time to react when Darth Kai extended his hand and lifted her body off the ground, sending her flush against the trunk of an old tree behind her. She suddenly felt lightheaded as Kai proceeded to use the Force to cut the air supply to her lungs.

He closed the distance with one ample jump, bowing to her level to whisper in her ear: "How do you like my intervention so far, Princess? Up to your standards?"

Deanna glared at him, fighting off the instinctive urge to use her powers to push him away.

"Your Jedi protector seems a little...overwhelmed, doesn't he?" Kai continued, mouth hot on the girl's ear, hoping she would react to his taunting.

"Shouldn't you be fighting me, instead of trying to intimidate a fragile woman instead?" Jamie said from right behind him.

Deanna breathed deeply as Kai released her and turned to face the Jedi knight. It had taken all her willpower not to retaliate and compromise Plagueis' plan.

 _Fragile, sure_ , Kai thought wryly, engaging Jamie once more. He could feel all the dislike that rolled off the other man as their sabers locked again. Jamie was worried and tense and Kai did not need a picture to see why. The Princess. The Jedi had succumbed under her charm, just as he had. With a pang, he remembered how he had found them facing each other in silence, the scene in itself too unnatural not to be suspicious. He lost focus for a moment, and yelped when Jamie's violet blade slashed at his thigh, making him stumble backwards and fall on his back.

The Jedi knight used the advantage to raise his saber above his head, prepared to strike again, but Kai would not let it happen. Extending his hand to the wall near him, he sent several large rocks flying at the princess, who froze in a defensive stance, certain that the pain would be unbearable should they hit her.

But the pain never came, because one moment later, she found herself on the ground, her body pinned down beneath Jamie Kenobi's weight. He'd thrown himself between her and the rocks, protecting her from them and taking the full force of the blow.

Deanna gasped in shock when she felt something warm slipping down her neck and arm, and realised with horror that it was blood. It was certainly not hers. She struggled to extract herself from beneath Jamie's strong, heavy body, but it was a difficult task in itself. He had passed out, and by the paleness of his face, he had been seriously hurt.

She heard footsteps approaching, and then Jamie's weight was suddenly lifted off her, Darth Kai pushing his body aside carelessly and crouching at her side.

"Now, that's an unexpected turn of events," he drawled extending a hand to her.

Deanna ignored his peace offering and glared at him. She stood, her eyes softening as her gaze landed on Jamie.

"Is he alive?"

"Must be terrible for you to live outside the Force, Princess. Yes, he's alive, but only just. I can sense life drifting out of him slowly. He's losing a lot of blood."

"Plagueis will not be pleased!" she snapped, irrational anger and worry beginning to well up inside her at the sight of Jamie in that state. She did her best to stifle the feeling. Why should she care if the Jedi was dying? She hated his guts, did she not? She'd been the one asking Plagueis for his life. She should be happy.

"How is that my fault that your prized protector is nothing but an idiot? I did not see that coming."

"So you wanted to kill me instead?" she asked sharply, her eyes throwing daggers at him.

Kai sighed and gave her an apologetic look. "I was hoping you would use your power and end this stupid game. I want to return to the palace. And..." he took a step in her direction, raising a hand to her face, "...to you."

Deanna brushed his words away, and instead worried on her lower lip, looking at Jamie.

"Let's go, Princess," Darth Kai said. "Doesn't his death suit you? I know how much you disliked his presence here. You would have killed him eventually, anyway."

Deanna made an effort to smooth out her features so that Kai would not read how tense she was.

"Yes, I did," she said coldly looking up at him. "But this is not how things were supposed to unfold. Go back to your hiding place for now. I will find you tomorrow after I discuss this with Plagueis."

"How? You can't even use your powers."

"I said I will find you, Darth Kai."

Kai begrudgingly walked away. He took one last glance back at her, and then disappeared around the corner of the street.

After he was gone, the princess hesitated just for a moment, before she fell to her knees beside Jamie, cradling his head in her hands and checking the pulse in his neck. Kai was right, his pulse was feeble, and there was an increasing puddle of blood accumulating under his body.

"Master Kenobi!" Deanna shook him lightly, careful not to harm him further.

There was no answer, and worry tugged again at the princess' heart.

"Jamie! Please wake up!" she found herself saying, touching her fingers to his pale cheek.

 _It is not fair_ , she thought. It was not fair that someone as pure-hearted as he was, as brilliant and good, was hurt like this, because of her. What was wrong with these Jedi, valuing their own life so little, embracing these selfless causes? Did it make any sense? Not in her world, where the Sith only fought for power and more power. It also did not make any sense that she still hung around, mad with worry for him, instead of grabbing a drink with Darth Kai to celebrate.

"Why did you have to do that, you compassionate fool..." she muttered, realizing her own hands were trembling as she touched his face. "Please wake up, Jamie."

But he still did not stir.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter XV**

The underground training room was dark, save for the candles in its four corners. Ever since he had left Deanna and Kenobi, Darth Kai had been working his body into exhaustion. He could now feel every muscle in his body, a sheen of sweat covering his torso, his golden curls damp and messy. He stopped hitting the workout bag, which looked rumpled and ready to collapse from its hook in the ceiling, and dropped to his knees on the floor, throwing his gloves aside and grasping his head in his hands.

He had made a huge mistake, and hoped that Lord Plagueis would not be furious enough to cancel his training altogether. If he did, Kai would not survive.

Once again he had not followed his master's orders to the letter. He'd mortally injured the Jedi. He had let his rage overtake him when he had seen Deanna and the Jedi acting as if they were close. He had wanted Jamie Kenobi gone once and for all.

Of course, Plagueis had been right. His passionate inclination for the princess had begun to cloud his judgement. He knew he had to get a hold of himself before it was too late.

He got up from the ground and continued with his routine training with the lightsaber. It was the only thing that kept him focused and prevented his thoughts from wandering.

He had just finished and was putting his shirt back on when he became aware of his master's presence. Darth Plagueis was descending the staircase leading to the underground area of the palace.

"You are here earlier than I thought you would be, my young apprentice," the older man drawled as he entered the dark room.

"Master," Kai acknowledged, bowing deeply. "I did not expect you so early either."

"You know I can't sleep. I felt your presence and unrest."

Kai stared at him for a moment, at a loss for words.

"Did you confront the Jedi boy?" Plagueis asked.

Deanna had not yet spoken to the dark lord? It seemed that Plagueis was not yet aware of his misdeeds. "I did, master" he answered, stone faced.

"Good, very good. Now he will be convinced of our story. We just need to keep the Jedi busy for a few more days until the day of the elections. After that we will take care of Luke Skywalker and his pupil. The others have already been taken care of by Lord Ren. We are very close to attaining our goal."

Kai just nodded silently. He could not bring himself to tell Plagueis that Jamie Kenobi could already be dead. It mattered little to Kai whether the remaining Jedi would be sent to their death quietly or would first be humiliated as Plagueis seemed to be keen on doing. But it would matter significantly if his master decided to cancel his training because of this mistake.

"Well, Lord Kai. Let's see how much you have learned so far," Pagueis said, shedding his long coat and activating his lightsaber.

"Now, master?" Kai said, in surprise. "I have been training for hours. I am not fit to..."

"And I have not slept properly in days. Clear your mind, my young apprentice. The fatigue that you feel will disappear."

The young man closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on washing off his weakness. Then he felt it. The strain in his muscles, the exhaustion, leaving his body. His mind clearing, his focus sharpening. His fingers grasped the lightsaber and the weapon sprung to life. Kai bolted through the air and Plagueis met him half way, their blades locking together in an avalanche of sparks.

The apprentice had no clue of his master's age, but the older man's skill and raw power were to be reckoned with. It was the first time they had practiced together. So far, Plagueis had only given Kai instructions and advice, but had not actually taught him anything hands on. This was completely different. A few trying minutes later, Kai found himself ambushed in a corner of the room, with Plagueis Force-choking the life out of him. He had dropped his saber in the process and did not have enough strength to summon it. His master had not even used the Force fields.

Suddenly, Plagueis liberated him and Kai dropped to his knees, trying to recover.

"Oh, Lord Kai. I would have expected better from you," Plagueis said silkily, venom dripping from each of his words. "What's the use of being so strong with the Force when one is so unworthy of it?"

Kai glared at him, feeling a new surge of energy at his words. He extended his hand and his lightsaber surged through the air, a moment later locking again with his master's.

"Yes, yes," the other man hissed, parrying his angry hits with less ease than before. "You see how your anger makes you stronger? Learn to use it in your favour!"

Kai took his advice and pounced on him, using his rage as a weapon, fuelling his energy. But with only a few skilful twists of lightsaber, Plagueis made him drop his saber once more.

The dark lord kicked the weapon to his apprentice's feet.

"Again!" he ordered.

* * *

It was the bright light above him that woke him up.

Jamie squinted, then closed his eyes again, growling. On cue, the light dimmed.

"How are you feeling, master Kenobi?" the princess' voice rang in the stern room.

He tried to speak, but his throat felt uncomfortably dry. He had a massive headache, and he did not recall what had happened. He looked around. He seemed to be in a medical facility. When he tried to move, he felt as if his entire body had been mercilessly battered. His right arm was connected to some tubes.

"Milady," he managed to speak with difficulty. "What happened? Are you all right?"

The princess sat up from her chair by the window and closed the distance, stopping near his bed.

"You did something very stupid, master Kenobi. It could have cost us both our lives," she replied in the same cold tone of voice. "You remember confronting that Sith lord or whatever he is?"

Jamie brought up his free hand to rub at his forehead, as his recent memories flooded his mind.

"Yes, I do remember now," he said.

He raised his bright eyes to her face. The princess' expression was neutral, but he could feel she was very tense.

"How did you..."

"Why did you not use the Force to stop those rocks from hitting me?" she interrupted him.

Jamie hesitated for a moment. "In that moment I thought it was the only way to make sure you would not be hit by any of them."

"And has it not crossed your mind that if you passed out, he could have easily killed me afterwards?" she inquired.

A surge of anger made its way through Jamie at her words. Egoistic brat, he thought. She only cared about what happened to her.

"I did not have time to ponder on that. I acted on instinct," he replied. "How did you bring me here? What happened to the Sith?"

Deanna took a step away from the bed, her stare trained on the grey wall across from her.

"Speeders happened to pass by. Some people stopped to inquire what was going on and the attacker ran away. He was also hurt from your confrontation. Those people helped me get you to the medical facility here, downtown. You were very lucky."

That was not how it had happened at all. After a few painful moments, after she had considered all possibilities, she had decided to save his life. It seemed like the right thing to do after what he had done for her. It was stupid to be so sentimental, and she was sure she would pay for this moment of weakness, but she just couldn't leave him there to die. She also had to acknowledge something else on this occasion, something she did not want to ponder on. She felt a growing affection for the Jedi, as excessively annoying as he was. That did not mean that she would ever confess her feelings. It was just a phase and it would pass. She would fight these feelings and erase them if she had to.

They had been indeed lucky that after a few moments of nerve-wracking waiting near the main road: a speeder had gone by and she had thrown herself in front of it, causing the driver to stop abruptly. The passengers had helped her get Jamie into the speeder and rushed him to the nearest medical unit.

Jamie studied her face. She was not telling him the entire truth, he mused, again feeling the temptation to break into her mind, but he repressed those thoughts once again. He was intrigued by the fact that Darth Kai had left her alive. It really made no sense that she was safe and sound after all the trouble the Sith had taken to get to her. He would not have been intimidated by mere bypassers.

"I will retire now, master Kenobi. I will send a medical droid to you on my way out. They said you will need to rest tonight. You had a concussion, and lost some blood, but you are otherwise fine. No broken bones. You should be as good as new tomorrow."

She was about to leave, when Jamie grabbed her hand. Deanna looked at him with surprise, her heart speeding up.

"Thank you," he said, looking at her sadly. "I proved to be more of a burden than a protector to you tonight, milady."

Deanna sighed looking into his eyes. That was an exaggeration, she thought, and he had no reason to feel guilty especially after very bravely - and foolishly - saving her life. The Jedi's thinking was utterly foreign and disconcerting to her.

Instead she said: "If you want to thank me, then do not mention to my father that you were gravely injured. If you do, he will consider the situation too dangerous and send me away from here. We should treat this as a minor incident."

Jamie's eyes were even sadder for a moment. "Yes, and I would be called back by master Luke."

Something charged the atmosphere in the room then. An unspoken communication passed between the two young people as it dawned on them that they would be separated, should the gravity of the incident become known to Plagueis and Luke Skywalker, respectively.

"I understand, milady. I will be quiet as a tomb. As far as I am concerned, the incident was minor and I was never in need of medical care," he said, and Deanna pulled her hand away gently.

"Thank you, master Kenobi. I will go back to the palace now and get some sleep. You should come back quietly once you are released in the morning."

With that, the princess gave him a slight nod and left. A few minutes later, a medical droid came in, with a new set of sleeping pills. Jamie wearily watched it approaching.

"It's sleep medication, Sir. You lost a lot of blood and you need to recover."

"I am fine," Jamie said, pushing the droid away.

"The lady donated the blood for you. Difficult to find a universal donor these days" the droid said stubbornly, still holding up the pills in its metallic tray. "You need to get more sleep for the treatment to be effective."

Jamie laid back on his pillow, his face colouring slightly. It was not enough that she had saved his life, she had even gone as far as to give him her own blood to help his recovery. On the one side he felt ashamed to have gotten into that situation in the first place, on the other hand the warmth he felt inside testified of his delight at the thought that despite her cold attitude she had done something like that for him. Hope that, maybe, maybe she harboured some positive feelings for him settled in his heart, and he gratefully accepted the pills offered by the droid before drifting back to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Deanna walked into her apartments, her eyes falling on lady Coralia, who was sitting at the end of her bed, looking worried.

"Milady, it is past midnight. I did not know where you were, I was very concerned..." the handmaiden started, and stopped abruptly and yelped noticing her mistress' blood-stained gown. Deanna ignored her and headed for the washroom shedding her dress in the process.

"Take it and burn it," she called over her shoulder, pressing the water tap.

"Milady, are you injured?" the handmaiden stood by the half-open door, holding the white satin dress in one hand.

"I'm fine. Do what I told you to do, and make sure no one sees you."

Lady Coralia finally walked away, and the princess rested her forehead against the tiles in the shower, feeling the water warming her back and drenching her hair, washing away the traces of blood. She still could not believe what had happened earlier that evening and wondered whether she had taken the right decision to save Jamie Kenobi's life. She had acted on her feelings and not on her judgement.

When the handmaiden returned, the princess was already sitting on the bed in a nightgown, drying her long hair with a towel. Lady Coralia took over the task, combing her fingers through Deanna's hair with affection.

"What is wrong milady? Whose blood was that?" she asked.

"Jamie Kenobi's."

"Ah, so you've killed him, milady?" the handmaiden asked, a trace of sorrow in her voice. Jamie was a nice person, she thought, but who was she to judge? The princess knew better.

"No, he's fine. There was an incident. With Darth Kai. No one has to know about that, Coralia."

"Of course, milady," the faithful handmaiden replied, relieved. She resumed drying her hair with expert hands, and then started combing the stubborn brown curls carefully.

The princess seemed more distressed than Coralia had ever seen her. She usually kept her cool, despite her passionate self. She wondered again about Deanna's feelings towards the Jedi knight. Many times she had witnessed her mistress watching him surreptitiously during meals or while they were walking together. The handsome knight was always a hot topic for the handmaidens around the palace, especially since he had started sharing Deanna's apartments.

"Where is master Kenobi then?" Coralia asked.

"He will return in the morning," Deanna said tiredly, getting into bed. "Wake me up early. I need to see Plagueis before the Jedi returns."

* * *

Deanna headed early to breakfast that morning. As she exited her room she crossed Jamie who had just arrived from the hospital.

"Master Kenobi. How are you feeling?"

Jamie stared at her, an inscrutable expression on his face. "I am quite all right, milady. Thanks to you. Where are you going?" he asked, taking off his brown coat and throwing it negligently on the coach at the foot at his bed.

Deanna eyed his blood-stained attire with concern: "You should get rid of those before someone sees them. Change and give them to Lady Coralia. She will know what to do with them."

"Where are you going, milady?" he repeated his question. "I need a word with you."

"I need to speak to my father. Perhaps later," she said, elegantly sweeping by him and out of the room.

Jamie looked after her, a wave of frustration washing over him. When he had woken up that morning, his headache had subsided, but from its ashes a dragon of doubt had risen. He did not have the experience of other Jedi from the time of the Republic, who had sometimes complained that the dark side clouded things, but instinctively he knew something was wrong. The princess had not told him the truth about the night's events, and he could find no valid explanation as to why the Sith had let her live. He had searched for some logic in her claim, but there was none. There were too many strange occurrences...There was one explanation forming somewhere deep in his mind, and he did not want it to let it surface. He preferred to let things unfold and observe instead, until he would be sure of his theory. He had tried reaching Luke for the third time that day, but it was clear that the master was not around. He had left the capital without telling Jamie, and that in itself was an element of concern.

When Jamie went downstairs after changing, he was surprised to find he was the only one who was being served breakfast that morning in the dining room.

* * *

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, princess?" Darth Plagueis put down his datapad. He'd been skipping through the morning news, when Deanna had appeared in his living room announced.

"Can't I have a quiet breakfast with my _father_?" she asked, sarcasm dripping from her every word.

She raised an eyebrow at the servants who hurried to lay the table for a second person, and left the room to give them privacy.

"Of course, please sit down," Plagueis conceded, sizing her up as she took her seat. "What bothers you?"

Deanna took a few bites of the fruit salad before her, before laying back in her comfortable chair, and frowning slightly at him.

"I know you will not be satisfied until you have completed your revenge, whatever that might be," she said, "but there is a limit to what I am willing to accept."

Plagueis smirked, pleased to see her angry. "That is beyond what you are able to negotiate right now, Princess."

"Maybe, maybe not. You have given Kai free hand to hurt me, and my patience with him is running thin."

He folded his hands on the table before him. "I see you are safe and sound. And from what I have heard, so is the Jedi boy. It is quite obvious that Darth Kai did not go too far in actions."

So, Darth Kai had not told Plagueis the truth. That did not surprise her, seeing that Plagueis had not appreciated him taking things as far as he had taken them. But she was extremely relieved at the same time. It would have been very difficult to explain to the dark lord before her why she had saved the Jedi's life.

"Rest assured, soon you'll be able to kill Jamie Kenobi, as I have promised you. Just give me a couple more days. And I will keep Kai under control. What happened last night was necessary to ensure a semblance of legitimacy to our claims that someone was attempting to kill you. It is unlikely that the boy will leave your side now, even if Luke Skywalker calls him back."

"How are you planning to end this then?" she inquired, taking a sip from her cup of herbal tea.

"I prefer to keep up the suspense," Plagueis said, drinking from his own cup. "Have a little more patience with me, Princess. It will pay off."

She watched him carefully, and Plagueis smirked again.

"You look tired, my dear. Would you rather stay at the palace today? I have a long reception at the Senate."

Deanna's eyes hardened. "I would never miss one of your events, _father_. I will go prepare."

Plagueis nodded, resting his elbows on the table. A few more days, and he would attain his goal. Once more, the Sith would rule the Galaxy. He would bring balance to the Force, once and for all. The most important thing to decide on now was who to choose as his apprentice. The day he died, the First Order and all he had built would succumb to chaos. He needed someone to continue his legacy and rule the Galaxy with an iron hand. He did not want internal struggles between the four of them to destroy everything he had built so far with so much work and dedication. He had to make his choice now. He was unhappy with all his possible successors, though. Kylo Ren had not fully given himself to the dark side. One who could not choose was weak in Plagueis' eyes. There were no shades of grey as far as he was concerned. Deanna could have been a worthy successor due to her power and inheritance, but she had no interest whatsoever in his legacy. Plagueis did not trust her at all, but might have to consider the possibility nonetheless. Perhaps in time, with proper persuasion, she would come to see the need to carry on what Plagueis and his disciple had achieved. Finally, there was Darth Kai. Powerful and ambitious, but completely unpredictable. Much like Anakin Skywalker had been rumoured to be before he turned to the dark side. Could Plagueis actually put his legacy in his hands? After training with him the previous night, he had found the boy had perseverance. Perhaps he had what it took to become the next emperor, but the supreme leader was not convinced just yet. Perhaps what the boy needed was to be given a chance to prove himself worthy of the task.

He sighed and slowly patted the left side of his chest. He knew he could not live forever, not with his heart illness getting worse, despite his best efforts to cure it. No matter how he looked at his current situation, he did not have much time at his disposal.

* * *

The dinner had been lavish and the following reception was even better, Jamie mused, looking around at the guests grouped around the tall tables, in vivid discussion with one-another. They were all important people, senators, well-known starlets and socialites, TV personalities, business people...a glittering crowd surrounding him.

Jamie was standing beside the Prince, a glass of expensive wine in his hand, following the conversation politely, dropping a sentence from time to time, but his attention was focused on only one person, as usual.

Deanna was conversing with a man and a woman a few steps away from him. She'd gone out of her way to look as amazing as the first time he had seen her, perhaps even prettier. She was wearing a long, strapless red dress, which hugged her curves, the upper part of it adorned with colourful gems. The dress' neck was so low cut that Jamie found it more difficult than ever to take his eyes off her. He wondered if she was on purpose trying to torture him. He'd seen her glance over her shoulder at him a couple of times, and whenever he'd caught her stare, she turned away, unsmiling.

She'd said she hated him, but she had saved his life. She always snapped at him, but she blushed and stared at him. What game was she playing? He needed to know, if only for the sake of his own sanity.

Jamie watched her from the corner of his eye, as she excused herself, and took the stairs to the upper floor. He answered a question the Prince had asked and said a quick excuse to the others, hurrying to not to lose her from his sight.

Deanna put her glass on the first available table and followed Darth Kai up the stairs to the first floor. She was once again taken by surprise to see him show up when least expected. As she was conversing with the current chancellor and his wife, she'd noticed Kai approaching. He was exquisitely dressed in a blue velvet tunic, his golden locks tamed and carefully styled. He looked like he belonged in the room, and despite his humble origins, he looked more handsome than any of the noble men present.

Kai had stopped a few steps away from her, raising an eyebrow before heading for the stairs. Apparently he had something to tell her. Or he just enjoyed tormenting her, just like Plagueis. She climbed the stairs, wondering why he could not have waited a few more hours until she went to see him.

She yelped, when someone grabbed her wrist and spun her around, pushing her against the wall of the corridor.

"What's wrong with you?" she hissed, liberating her hand, while Kai watched her expressionlessly.

He kept silent for a moment and she glared at him.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Kai finally asked.

"Tell who and what?"

"Don't play coy. Plagueis. Why did you not tell him that I screwed up last night?"

Deanna bit her lip. "It did not serve me to tell him."

"Kriffing hell!" he snapped. "You could have gotten me in a lot of trouble if you wanted too. And I know you desperately want that. _It did not serve you_? That is such a lie! Why then?"

She did not answer, looking at him defiantly instead.

"Should I spell it out for you then, Princess? Or should I ask you yet another question for which you'd better have an answer prepared?"

She stayed silent, and Kai grew angrier. "Why is Kenobi alive and well? You saved him, didn't you?"

"I guess that answers your first question," she finally said. She yelped again when Kai's punch hit the wall behind her, a few centimetres away from her face.

"It makes no sense for you to do that, Princess," he hissed angrily in her ear. "There's only one plausible explanation for what you did, and I do not like it at all. Plagueis will not like it either."

"You have reason to keep quiet about that, Kai," she warned him, although her voice betrayed her emotion.

"Do I? I'm past keeping up appearances. Explain to me why I should!" he ordered, scowling.

"Has it occurred to you that perhaps I do not want Kenobi to die because of an accident you provoked? That I want him to suffer, Kai? That I want my revenge?"

Kai scoffed, showing he did not believe her for a second. He could only guess why she had saved the Jedi, and her explanation only served to make him madder.

"Is this what you keep telling yourself?" he mocked.

Deanna glared, her face darkening.

They were interrupted by someone walking down the corridor in their direction. It took Kai a moment to identify his rival.

"I will expect you tomorrow night at midnight at my place," he told Deanna.

He sighed, and threw Jamie a spiteful look over his shoulder before he turned and walked away.

Jamie froze for a moment, seeing Darth Kai so close to Deanna. He did not sense that the Sith had any intention of harming her, on the contrary, he could feel the other man's concern and desire for the Princess. An unexpected feeling washed over him at the sight, something he had never felt before, and which clouded his judgement. The dragon of doubt and mistrust dug his sharp claws deep inside him once again, and the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place: the man who had just left was the one she had rushed to meet at the theatre, and was the Sith apprentice following them. He had probably never threatened her life, but instead they were playing some kind of sick game that Jamie did not understand.

Deanna turned to him, looking flustered, and Jamie could not help the feelings of anger and possessiveness that overtook him then. Peace and serenity were gone in an instant, despite all his Jedi training. It was completely wrong that he felt that way for someone, but he did not bring himself to care about that right now. With two long strides he was in front of her, shaking with anger.

"How dare you?" he asked, voice tense, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "How dare you make me waste my time 'protecting' you when you actually secretly go around meeting with this dangerous Sith lord? Do you even know what he is, what he's capable of?"

Deanna had been handling Darth Kai as calmly as she could, but when Jamie started his stream of accusations, she could not hold back. Under normal circumstances, she would have understood the Jedi's frustration with the situation, but at the moment all she could feel was anger overtaking her. Obviously, all the Jedi cared about was his duties, and the efficient use of his time. It seemed like everything she had done for him meant nothing to the knight. She felt foolish for saving his life, and most importantly for harbouring a growing crush for a man who was as cold as an iceberg.

She turned her head and watched Darth Kai disappear down the stairs. He still had that mocking expression plastered on his face. Bastard!

"If I'm wasting your time, do me a favour and leave!" she cried, confronting Jamie's intense glare. "I never wanted your protection in the first place. Have I ever asked you to be around? Force knows I've always pushed you away!"

"And now it is quite clear why you've never wanted me around. I kept getting in the way of your secret rendez-vous," Jamie continued, unrelenting, closing the distance. Jealousy messed with his head. Attachment, the need to be loved in return - it was everything that a Jedi was not supposed to feel. He hated himself for this weakness.

"Even if that were true, it is none of your business," she said, her pulse quickening at his proximity.

"The hell it isn't!" he rasped, making her heart's rate double. She felt his hands on her waist, his eyes unabashedly roaming over her. She suddenly regretted wearing such a provocative dress. Jamie's hungry stare was only making her aware of how much she wanted him as well. She was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe properly, her heart hammering in her chest.

Deanna finally gathered her wits, and placed her hands on his chest, in an attempt to push him away from her.

"Then do you _like_ me, master Kenobi?" she asked, hoping that it would make him keep his distance from her.

Her words felt like salt in his wounds, and Jamie gave her a chilling smile, bowing to whisper against the side of her neck: "Don't delude yourself, Princess. Physical desire has nothing to do with actual feelings. I don't feel anything for you, but desire."

Lying had never felt good before to Jamie, but it felt good now when seeing Deanna's face go white.

"I may be a Jedi, but I am not made of stone. And you have done everything in your power to make me want you," he pressed further, suddenly forcefully pulling her against him, and capturing her lips. He kissed her without any trace of hesitation, and with all the lust he had felt for her from the moment they had met. The princess' hands fell from his chest as he explored her mouth with authority and practiced ease. She whimpered quietly, before reason returned to her, and she managed to push him away. Jamie was not surprised when her hand connected with his left cheek.

" _You_ should not be the one to delude yourself, master Kenobi," she said, her voice quivering slightly. "I never tried to seduce you. On the contrary, I hate you with all my heart."

Jamie took a step back, smiling spitefully at her, and then walked away without looking back. The princess watched his silhouette fading away in the darkness of the corridor; she pushed back tears and struggled to regain her composure.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter XVI**

The atmosphere was extremely tense in the speeder that night as the Prince, his daughter, and Jamie Kenobi returned to the Palace. Plagueis had noticed immediately that Jamie and Deanna were staring out of the speeder's windows in different directions, the animosity almost tangible between them even without the use of the Force. He knew Deanna hated the young Jedi, but this time there was something different charging the atmosphere that he could not quite pinpoint. He felt bothered by this discovery. And it was not only Deanna. He could sense the young man was extremely on edge and bothered as well. Plagueis did not know what to make of it, but he decided he would interrogate the princess in the morning.

Deanna and Jamie walked in silence to their shared quarters. The princess then stormed into her room without sparing Jamie so much as a glance.

She was furious and did not even try to hide it. She bathed, changed into one of her luxurious, satin nightgowns, and removed her makeup without waiting for her handmaidens.

She still could not believe what had happened earlier. He had kissed her. Jamie Kenobi. The nerve that man had! He looked so innocent, but acted nothing like that. After accusing her of all kinds of things, including of secretly dating a Sith lord, and even trying to seduce him, a Jedi knight. She smiled bitterly, remembering his last accusation. It was not as if she had not considered the option. But well, she had never implemented it. She had been afraid that her own attraction to the Jedi would get in the way of cold-heartedly executing any such plan.

She was surprised that Jamie had not yet spoken to her father. There was no way he would guard the silence as far as her knowing and meeting Darth Kai was concerned. It was also only a matter of time before he informed Luke Skywalker.

Deanna sighed and stared at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her hair. Her cheeks were still hot, and she felt like her heart was far from calming down. She could not calm down. Two contradictory feelings tugged at her heart continuously. Joy and anger in equal amounts...

So Jamie did desire her as well. That made butterflies in her stomach dance excitedly. That kiss had been...she did not have much experience in that domain, but one could still tell when a kiss was amazing. It was strange, the assured manner in which he had kissed her... It was not at all what she would have expected from him.

And then he had said what he had said. That he had no feelings for her. It had hurt and far too much. It had hurt more than her pride. Now she really had to find a way to stifle these feelings she'd developed for him. There really wasn't any other choice.

She stood up from her vanity and grabbed her favourite bottle of perfume, but her hand was slightly trembling from the nerves, and she dropped it. The bottle shattered into many small glass pieces and dispersed all around her. The princess took a step back in surprise. She cried out softly in pain, cursing at her own clumsiness when she stepped on a couple of glass shards.

Her eyes shot up in surprise when she heard the doors opening one moment later, and Jamie stormed in, lightsaber in his hand. It took him just a couple of seconds to assess the situation, and to conclude there was no immediate danger. He then closed the distance between them and lifted her in his arms. He walked to the bed without a word and laid her on it, sitting down at the other end, and gently removing the glass shards from her foot.

"Is there a medical kit around?" he asked softly, his eyes hooded, avoiding to look at her directly.

She indicated a drawer in one of the many cupboards and Jamie went to search for it. He'd probably been in the process of changing his clothes, because he was only wearing a pair of pyjama black pants and no shirt. The young woman watched him in silence, hardly able to look away from his sculpted torso. She reckoned that years of hard training did that to a man's body. She blushed furiously when he returned with the medical kit, and she finally looked away.

If Jamie noticed, he abstained from any remark. He tended to her superficial wound in silence. When he was done, he kept his hand on her leg. He looked at her from under his thick lashes, his hand caressing her calf up to her knee. He then bowed and pressed an almost chaste kiss to the side of her knee. Deanna's heart skipped a beat, desire pooling in her stomach. Jamie met her stare for a moment, then smiled and stood, giving her an almost polite nod and preparing to leave, when the young woman grabbed his wrist.

"Why don't you stay here tonight, master Kenobi?" she said, an almost challenging undertone in her question, not even sure what had come over her. "If you want so badly to protect me, then you should be as close to me as possible, shouldn't you? That's what you said when you moved into the other room."

Jamie assessed her for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then the bed moved under his weight as he climbed to the other side of it and laid down in silence. He waved his hand and the room went dark.

"You are absolutely right, princess. Good night then," he said, his voice not being able to hide his amused tone at the young woman's consternation. If she wanted to play these games, then fine, he thought. It was going to be a long night, and he was sure he would not be able to sleep with her so close, but two could play that teasing game.

* * *

When Jamie woke up, it first felt like he was still dreaming.

There was no way that the princess was tightly wrapped in his arms, that his face was buried in her hair and that in turn she was also holding him close, her arm around his waist, her head resting on his shoulder.

He smiled and inhaled the delicious scent of her perfume, bringing a hand up to play with one of the satin straps of her nightgown. He let it fall aside and pressed a kiss to the silky skin there, then another one to her forehead.

It was a beautiful dream he was having after the nightmarish previous evening. He'd thrown a fit of jealousy when seeing her with Kai and he'd said harsh words to her, trying to alleviate his frustration and hide his real feelings. And she'd reiterated that she hated him.

He'd felt miserable afterwards for reacting like a frustrated, enamoured teenager, when he was supposed to be so much more than that. He was supposed to be in control of his feelings and in control of himself.

When he'd heard noise in her room and sensed she was in pain, he could not stay away. He'd expected not to be able to sleep at all by her side, but her presence had had a soothing effect on him, and after just a few minutes he had blissfully succumbed to sleep.

How they'd ended up tangled up like that in the middle of the bed he had no clue, but he could not wait to see the princess' reaction when she woke up.

Deanna muttered his name, in response to his kisses, and wrapped her arms even tighter around his chest, burying her face in his neck. Now, that was unexpected from someone who claimed that she hated him, he thought gleefully. Jamie tried to ignore the excitement of his body in response to her moves. Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she looked up at him in shock. Then shock gradually transformed into mortification, as she looked desperately for something to say that would excuse her behaviour towards him. However, Jamie decided it was time to put an end to silly games.

He smiled at her tenderly, tightening the embrace, and kissed the top of her head.

"Looks like you lied about how you felt, Princess," he whispered. "But that makes two of us," he added after a moment, watching her face turn red in embarrassment.

They tacitly decided to enjoy the moment then. She made no move to distance herself from him and Jamie could feel it in the Force: she was happy and could not contain it. They held each other quietly, contentedly, for a few minutes, Jamie caressing her hair soothingly. That was until he suddenly detangled himself from her and jumped out of the bed. "I did not sense them coming," he said hastily. One moment later, Lady Coralia knocked, but by the time she opened the door, Jamie was already in the washroom, slamming the door behind him. It was just the right time for a very long cold shower, he reckoned.

"Good morning, milady," Lady Coralia said, tending to her mistress, who looked oddly flustered.

* * *

"Have you seen my father this morning?" Deanna asked a little later, when both her and Jamie were about to finish their breakfast.

"The Prince went to the Senate earlier. His Highness said that he would not be back until tonight, and you should enjoy your time today," Coralia replied.

It was unexpected of Plagueis to go to the Senate for the whole day without asking her to be present, Deanna thought while walking back to her apartment, Jamie a few steps behind her. Plagueis was clearly up to something. She was wondering what to do with her free time, when Jamie suddenly grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the main hallway and into the more secluded corridor to their left. She did not resist his actions, and a few moments later she found herself in his arms. She raised her eyes to his smiling face, part curious, part confused.

"I could not wait to be alone with you again," he clarified, bowing his head, making his intentions clear.

He stopped short of kissing her when he felt her hands push firmly against his chest.

"Master Kenobi, I would have never expected such behaviour from you," she teased, her lips curling up.

"So you're going to hit me again if I kiss you?" he countered, raising an eyebrow, mischievous smile in place.

"There is only one way to find out, I guess," she replied, but her arms had already moved out of their own volition around his neck, pulling him closer.

Jamie then caressed her lips with his very slowly, an almost teasingly innocent touch, soon eliciting a groan of frustration from the princess. He smiled against her lips when she kissed him back willingly, eagerly, this time. It felt so wonderful, he mused, so natural to have her there, in his arms, to feel her warm, sweet lips against his. This was perfection, he thought. The kiss turned quickly from innocent to passionate, though and Jamie's arms snuck around her small waist and pulled her flush against him. Deanna moaned softly when she felt his strong body against her, and Jamie moved his mouth away from hers for a moment to press a few scorching kisses down her neck and collar bone.

"Come away with me for one day," he whispered convincingly, pressing yet another kiss behind her ear. "Just for today, you and I can be alone, away from all these people."

Deanna rested her forehead against his chest, in an attempt to clear her thoughts. It was tempting. Perhaps for one day indeed she could forget who he was, who she was. One day they could be at peace.

"Where should we go?" she asked.

"I know a place where we can be tranquil," he replied, holding her close.

"All right," she replied, enjoying the warmth of his arms around her. "Today is ours then."

* * *

Luke contemplated the immensity of the lake before him from the shelter of the old trees surrounding it. It was lightly raining on a warm day, and from where he sat he could see the drops of rain producing small ripples across the surface of the lake, disturbing its solemn quietness. Even birds had taken shelter in the woods surrounding it and the only activity around the lake was that of the padawans putting up their few tents, under Rey's vigilant eye.

Luke sighed, his attempt at meditation shattered by his incapacity to quiet down his heart. It was too much for him to handle, he thought, wishing that for once he could listen to Leia and stop taking all the blame for the whatever evil was happening in the Galaxy on himself.

He'd arrived just a few hours before at the Academy, and while he had been happy to find the padawans alive and safe, he could not ignore the immediate danger they had been in, and the fact that if they were alive, it was due to sheer luck. Rey had recounted the whole story to him, about Ben showing up and preventing his fellow Knights of Ren from killing her. Luke had no doubt that Ben had acted that way not because of some sort of sense of duty or mercy towards the padawans, but because he had wanted to save Rey. While Luke had wanted at first to see some kind of repentance in his gesture, he had quickly realized that Ben was just following up to his own plans and desires, and if he had spared the padawans' lives it was not because there was still good in him, but rather because he thought they were not a threat to him.

Luke had managed to relocate them, but he had no clue as to how long they would be safe. He looked at the lake again, feeling more miserable than ever. He had thought that with the demise of the Emperor they would finally have peace. His father had been the one supposed to bring balance to the Force, but had he sacrificed himself in vain? There was no peace. There was no balance, and certainly there was no clear future for the Jedi.

Luke felt tired and worn out, at the end of his strength. This evil was like a hydra, sticking out its ugly head again and again. He'd lost Ben to Snoke years ago, and twice this faceless Sith had managed to destroy his life's work and chase him into hiding. Who was Snoke? How powerful was he that he could cloud everything so much that Luke could not see where this menace was coming from? If he truly was a Sith lord, and the Sith were supposed to only ever number two, why did he have more than one apprentice at the time?

Just one hour before, Luke had received yet another devastating piece of news: the two Jedi knights who had been fighting in the outposts together with the Resistance had been killed by the apprentice known as Darth Kai. The few Resistance fighters still alive claimed that the man had fought both Jedi knights at once and had come away victorious very quickly. He was a terrifying, merciless being, they said. Quick and strong, and using Force shields.

Luke watched Rey put the padawans to sleep in their tents. He only had her and Jamie now. Jamie, who was alone in the capital. A thought crossed his mind then, and suddenly he felt some of the mystery surrounding the actions of the dark side starting to disperse. There had been an effort to separate them, he saw it now: the knights at the outposts, the padawans alone, him and Jamie's help solicited in the capital. Mere coincidences? Unlikely. He'd been blind to all this.

He leaned back against the tree behind him, thinking feverishly. The Prince of Hasterion was somehow involved, but if he were a mere tool of Snoke, it was impossible to say. But why did he only want Jamie there? Why not both of them? He did not sense that Jamie was in immediate danger, but he had not sensed that the padawans were in danger either. Luke's mind desperately searched for clues, but could not find any. If Snoke wanted Jamie dead, why had he not killed him already? Nonetheless, something was wrong with the whole picture.

The first step to prevent further damage was to bring Jamie back, and quickly.

"Rey, please come here!" he called.

The girl left the padawans and sauntered in Luke's direction.

"Yes, master, what is the matter?"

"Rey, did Ben mention anything about Snoke's plans regarding the rest of us?"

"Of course not, master. I would have told you immediately," the girl replied, a little taken aback by the question.

"Rey, I suspect Snoke will not stop at this. He will try to get Jamie as well. I cannot leave this place for now. I want you to go to the Capital and bring him to a safe place - Resistance headquarters, here, wherever possible. I do not think he is safe where he is, especially by himself."

The girl rubbed at her forehead, confused.

"But can I really just walk into the Capital, master? If I follow the logic, and Jamie is truly in danger, then Snoke or any or the other Sith apprentices must be around him. As far as Snoke knows, I am dead. If anyone spots me, and it is reported to Snoke, then Ben will be in trouble."

Luke contemplated Rey, a sad smile tugging at his lips. Of course, Rey did not want anything bad to happen to Ben. He had grown into a monster, but to Rey he was still the same Ben. Their connection had probably only grown stronger after her nephew had saved her life.

"Indeed, they would be around..." he started. Then he froze, as all the missing elements suddenly fell into place. He remembered the Prince's daughter, such a strange, unreadable creature. She had barely said a word during the dinner to which Luke had taken part. But her dislike for Jamie was obvious, and clearly had little to do with the mere inconvenience of reinforced security. Ben and Darth Kai had accompanied a woman back on Valeant. A woman who had not seemed Force-sensitive, but Jamie had been sure there was more to her. Jamie was sure she was a Sith. If Luke followed his thoughts to the conclusion, it could only mean one thing.

Luke jumped to his feet.

"I have to go, Rey. I'll go. You stay and take care of the padawans."

"No, master, you are too recognisable. Trust me with the mission, just this once! I'll do my best and stay invisible."

"Rey..."

"Master, you know I cannot protect the padawans if we are found. You are the only one who can."

Luke knew she was right, but in light of this revelation, he was worried the mission was too dangerous for her alone.

"There may be more to this than Darth Kai or Snoke, Rey. The plot might be thicker than we can imagine. You need to be extremely careful," he said, still not convinced. "This will not be an easy task, but you have to find a way to see Jamie alone or send him a message. You two must leave the Capital before they realise you have done so. I have tried to communicate with him several times today, but he has not picked up. Something's wrong."

Rey nodded.

"Let's stay optimistic, master. I do not sense he is in immediate danger. I will leave right away."

* * *

Rey transported her rations of food and water, which were supposed to last for a couple of days, to one of the ships that had brought them to this secluded planet in the Ara System. It would take her at least a full day to get to the Capital, and another day to return if she and Jamie were to come back here. Perhaps it would not even be wise to return here: what if they were followed?

She got into the pilot seat and hoped for the best.

As she started the engine, she closed her eyes for a moment and let the feeling of guilt wash over her. She had not been a loyal padawan to Luke lately. She had her guesses, but she had not shared her thoughts with him. She could not afford to be transparent, though. She desperately wanted to go to the Capital. She suspected she would find Ben there. And she was also sure that she would find someone else there, someone she had been looking forward to meeting for quite some time.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter XVII**

"...and thus, honourable members of this House, we shall finally have peace and prosperity in the Galaxy. This war _must_ come to an end. I will make it my number one priority. This is my promise to you."

An enthusiastic round of applause followed the end of the Prince of Hasterion's speech to the Galactic Senate.

The Prince stepped down from the tribune and bowed to his fellow senators, and as the session ended, he followed up by shaking the hands of some of them. Finally, he stopped in front of a woman dressed in an elegant white dress, her long, greying hair neatly braided and knotted at the base of her neck.

"Senator Organa," Plagueis bowed reverently, then looked up at her, with a friendly gaze. "Such a pleasure to see you again, milady."

Leia Organa-Solo bowed her head slightly, smiling at the Prince, whom she considered an old ally in the Senate.

"It has been too long indeed, Prince," she said.

"You bear too much on your shoulders, Senator... But I heard from your brother that our campaigns in the Western outposts have been successful. The First Order has been forced to abandon its positions."

"Indeed, Prince. This campaign has been very successful. Almost too successful not to be a little strange as well," Leia stated. "Forgive my pessimism, Prince. After so many years of endless fighting I've become a little weary as to what is real and what is just a semblance of peace."

"We shall have peace, if I am elected, Senator. I promise you that," Plagueis said confidently. He did not have to lie about that. He would make sure the last of the Resistance would be quietly destroyed. He had taken the first measures in that sense just that morning, sending Darth Kai to wipe out the two trained Jedi knights who were supporting the Resistance in the Western outposts.

"You have my full support when you become Chancellor," Leia said, "but the task of bringing the rule of the First Order to an end may be direr than you think, Prince."

"My negotiations will not fail. I wish to prevent any unnecessary further casualties," Plagueis replied taking another step, closing the distance to senator Organa until they were in close proximity. "And, I hope on the day the war is over you will understand the necessity to step down from your leadership role in the Resistance, Senator. I trust you understand why this is necessary. We need to send out the right signs that we will keep our end of the bargain," he added quietly.

Leia took a step away in surprise to his words, eyeing him with unmasked concern.

"I understand, Prince," she said hesitantly. "But this can only happen the day we make sure that Snoke has completely surrendered power as well."

Plagueis smiled reassuringly: "Of course, I will make sure of that, milady, if I am elected. I bid you good bye then. Take good care."

He walked away, his smile fading. Of course, if Leia Organa refused to give up her functions once he took over, he would have to kill her. In a first phase after the war ceased he would prefer to have her collaborate for the sake of political appearances, but in the end that was a not an absolute necessity...

* * *

The wind was chilling, unpleasant, on this remote colony in the Western outpost, and Kai couldn't wait to be away from this place. He switched off his lightsaber and threw the bodies on the ground one last look, reaching out through the Force. The two Jedi knights he had just confronted were dead, and he sensed no further danger. They had posed little resistance to begin with. It was surprising, even to Kai, that despite their extensive training with Skywalker, they had succumbed so easily to their fear once Kai had engaged them. His own training with Plagueis was starting to pay off. He could finally produce longer lasting Force shields and his swordsmanship had definitely improved. Now it was just a matter of time before he reached his top form. He also felt more confident, and that was reflected in his fighting style. He would not dash in headfirst as he had used to do, but rather took his time to read his opponent first. Plagueis had demonstrated to him the merits of such a fighting style. He had not given up his usual ferocity, but now preferred to take his time instead of attacking blindly. In the beginning, the ability to read him had been Plagueis' advantage over him: now that was no longer the case. They were equal adversaries, with Kai slowly gaining an edge due to his considerable physical strength and youth.

But despite his newly gained confidence, Kai knew he still had quite a long way in front of him. If he were to truly become Plagueis' successor, he needed to defeat not only the Jedi, but also Kylo Ren. He had little insight as to Ren's abilities, but he was sure that at this stage he was someone not to be taken lightly.

As for the Jedi, although he had come away successful against Kenobi during their last confrontation, Kai knew that he was not to be underestimated either. In fact, had he not played his cards well – using Kenobi's weakness for the Princess – perhaps the fate of that confrontation would have been different.

Finally, the most important issue was the Princess. If Plagueis decided he no longer needed her and asked Kai to kill her, then he had a real problem. The young man's eyebrows furrowed slowly, while his eyes stayed unseeingly on the grey horizon. He needed to find a solution to this issue. Deanna was certainly not in her right mind if she had begun to harbour any affection for the Jedi, especially for _that_ Jedi. While he had trouble withstanding his own jealousy, Kai was more worried for her than he liked to admit. He was sure someone like Jamie Kenobi would not hesitate to do his duty if he discovered that she was his enemy. He hoped she would be able to hold her calm and play her part well until Plagueis decided it was time for them to face off.

In any case, the sooner Plagueis decided to give him free hand to kill Kenobi, the better.

"Sir, what should we do about the prisoners?" the stormtrooper captain accompanying him interrupted his thoughts.

Kai turned around and faced his troops, who were impatiently waiting his reaction. They had captured about sixty resistance fighters and a few pilots in the Western outposts. The men had thought they had won these colonies, and had been completely taken by surprise by the sudden attack of the First Order troops. The two Jedi had been preparing to leave the colony when Kai and his troops had made their appearance. Kai's attack had reduced the Resistance soldiers to a fearful mass in a matter of minutes.

He realized he had no clue as to what orders to give them. Plagueis had only told him to go, find and kill the Jedi, and return to the Capital. He was about to say that this was not his problem when he understood that the men viewed him as the commander of the mission. He could not just shy away from responsibility. He looked at the unarmed prisoners, then again at his troops, who waited uncomfortably.

He decided that if Plagueis had not given him any orders, he would not cause unnecessary casualties.

"Leave them," he ordered, starting for the ship. "Everyone get on board. We return now."

The captain looked dumbfounded for a moment, before he collected himself.

"Yes, Sir," he mumbled, signalling to the troops to get a move on.

Later that evening, he waited for Plagueis to return from the Senate. When his master arrived, Kai was surprised to see him alone.

"Master," he bowed, when Plagueis entered his apartment, and shed his cloak, enveloping Kai in a curious stare.

"I understand everything went as planned?"

"Yes, indeed. The Jedi are gone."

"Well done, my apprentice. There is just the master to be taken care of and the gifted Jedi. Too bad for young Kenobi's abilities. I'm afraid he's not one to ever turn to the Dark Side. I've studied him well over the past few days, and this is my conclusion."

Kai was displeased to hear Plagueis confirm the suspicion that he had entertained the thought of taking yet another apprentice. The old man was scary sometimes. One could never be sure of his intentions.

"I could have told you that from the beginning, master," he muttered irritably under his breath.

"Don't be arrogant, Lord Kai, or at least try to stifle the need to say everything that passes through your mind."

"I'm sorry, master, I'll do my best."

"I have a couple of hours this evening that I could dedicate to your training. Meet me downstairs in twenty minutes, and we shall practice the Force shield techniques."

"Yes, master."

Kai was preparing to leave when he remembered something.

"Did Deanna not return with you? I can't feel her presence."

Plagueis looked amused. "It's normal, she's been shadowing her presence for days now because of the Jedi boy. I can't feel her presence anymore either."

Kai hid his confusion. "But I always feel her presence, master. She cannot close her mind to me completely unless she's miles away from me."

Plagueis blinked, his amusement gone. "Really? Well, that's interesting. Since when?"

"Since that night when she was angry and destroyed her room in the basement. It's been much easier for me to read her after that."

Plagueis raised his eyebrows at his statement, but did not comment. He was not sure how to interpret this information himself.

"Deanna was not with me today. She was supposed to stay here with Kenobi."

"They are not in the palace," the apprentice said, looking worried.

"Why are you so worked up over this, Lord Kai? Perhaps they went for a walk."

When he did not reply, Plagueis sat down in his chair and watched him with narrowed eyes. "I told you before. You have to learn to keep your yearnings under control."

"I am trying, master. But Deanna...she's the one who is not keeping her feelings under control. The Jedi is affecting her too much."

Plagueis leaned back in his chair, his suspicions about the previous evening confirmed. There was something going on between the princess and the young Jedi, something that was more than mutual dislike.

"She's always had a thing for the wrong men. It's not the first time," he said irritably.

Kai winced. "What do you mean, master?"

The Sith lord looked away, and sighed.

"Darth Maul. She was madly in love with him, but he did not share her feelings at all. On the contrary, he considered her a rival. He feared Sidious was only using him to gain power, and then he would throw him away and rule with his daughter. Of course, that would have happened eventually."

Kai watched him transfixed. He had not suspected anything like that.

"The evening I saved her life," the older man continued, "it was Darth Maul who had sent someone under his orders to destroy her ship. Maul had the perfect alibi - he was on a mission for Sidious, and his master could not suspect him. But he was the only one who knew where Deanna and he were supposed to meet in secret that day." Plagueis sighed. "However, Deanna refuses see the truth. I had no interest in pointing out this issue to her, of course, so I will ask you to be discreet with this information."

Kai closed his eyes for a moment, in consternation. How someone as powerful as she was could be so naive at the same time was beyond him.

"I'll meet you in the training room, as discussed," Plagueis cut the conversation short.

"Yes, master," Kai acknowledged and left the room, his mind still reeling.

He took the stairs down to the princess' apartment and entered, ignoring the presence of the handmaidens, who were cleaning up.

"Everyone out!" he ordered.

He scowled at Lady Coralia, who, unlike the other handmaidens, had not abandoned her position beside the vanity of her mistress.

"Where is she?" he asked. "I know she trusts you most. You know where she went."

It was not a question, but a statement, and Coralia knew she could not lie to him. Rarely in her life she had been intimidated by someone other than the Supreme Leader, but Kai was someone she did not want to anger.

"She will be back tonight. She went with the Jedi master. I am not sure where, but she did not bring suitcases with her. She will return."

The handmaiden looked rather apologetic while saying this.

"You also suspect the same thing as I do," he said, looking around. "There is no need to deny it. Get out."

Alone, he stared into the mirror across from him. Deanna had delayed meeting him for a few days already. She would come looking for him that evening if he left the right message for her, he thought, and he switched on his lightsaber.

* * *

It had taken Kylo quite some time to find Darth Kai's apartment downtown, and when he did, he was quite relieved to see that it was a very large accommodation with several rooms. He had no place to go for now, while he was waiting for further orders from Plagueis. Kylo knew he was not welcome at the palace. The future chancellor had not only banished him from the palace, but also from the Capital until he was elected. But on that particular aspect, Kylo had decided not to follow his orders. In order to choose the right moment to carry out the coup he was preparing, he had to be close to the heart of the matter, and not banished away on his ship to the other side of the Galaxy.

He had decided to wait a couple of months, until Plagueis was fully installed as the new Emperor, before he took action. He reckoned that by that time the Resistance would have quit the fight. It was always easier to fight one enemy than two. He would then have only the First Order to take over. Everyone knew he was supposed to become Snoke's successor, so perhaps the transition would prove to be rather smooth. Timing, as always, was key.

Of course, there were the other two Sith. But if he had Deanna on his side, he thought he could easily deal with Kai. He needed to see her, and soon, in order to understand whether he could count on her support. And perhaps if they threw a bone to Darth Kai, there would be no need for another bloodbath. The Galaxy was large enough for the Sith to cohabitate, after all.

He sensed Kai approaching and smirked; he poured himself a generous amount of expensive brandy and plopped on the comfortable couch in the living room. The young apprentice surely liked to live a life of luxury, he thought.

A few moments later, he heard the sound of a speeder stopping abruptly outside; then the doors hissed open and Kai entered and gave Kylo and ugly look, before he proceeded to discard his cloak and throw it on the first chair in his path.

"What are you doing here, Ren?" he asked belligerently.

Ren stared at him curiously. Kai looked like he had fought a war outside. His unruly golden curls were in complete disarray, and he seemed very agitated. Surely, just killing two Jedi could not have brought him in that state. Was he training with Plagueis these days?

"What, it's only you who can barge into my ship unannounced, saying you're bored?" he countered, taking a sip from his glass.

Kai rolled his eyes and walked towards his bedroom.

"How did you find this place?" he asked.

"The First Order has central databases for everything," Ren responded, indifferent to Kai's cold welcome. "Did you kill the two Jedi in the outposts?"

"I don't report to you, Ren. But for your information, yes, I did. It was a piece of cake. Next is Kenobi."

Ren raised his eyebrows. "Really? I would leave Kenobi to me if I were you. As I told you before, he will not be so easily vanquished."

Kai halted in the doorway.

"That is for Plagueis to decide. But I almost had Kenobi at my mercy twice. I will not leave him to anybody."

Ren shook his head and smiled despite himself. No matter how many obstacles he met on his way, and no matter how harsh Plagueis treated him at times, Kai remained as stubborn and troublesome as always. Soon he heard the water running in the neighbouring room and decided it was time to pick one of the guest rooms. No matter what the other apprentice had said, Kylo was here to stay.

* * *

 **A/N: Just wanted to say here that my other Star Wars story "Cruel heart" is not abandoned, just on hold until this one is done. That will be one hell of a story, but for a more adult public. Also, this story will be in two parts and the second part will be M rated.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter XVIII**

Jamie watched Deanna's eyes light up and her expression brighten as they came out of the ship, and she was met with the compelling view in front of her. They had landed on a spaceport close to the ocean; the breeze was warm and the heady fragrance of colourful flowers, shrubs and bushes scattered over the surrounding hills made it even more pleasant .

They'd taken a public transport ship to make sure not to attract attention, although by now he was sure that the princess was not in immediate danger, at least not from Darth Kai. He'd read the other man's intentions clearly the previous evening, and the Sith apprentice didn't seem to harbour even a trace of malicious intent towards her. True, he was mad as hell, and Jamie had sensed that their relationship was marked by a lot of mistrust, but Jamie was sure that Kai did not mean her any harm.

Jamie had postponed questioning her about Kai on purpose. On the one hand, he did not want to ruin their well-deserved moment of peace and quiet spent in each other's company, and on the other hand he felt that if he wanted to get to the bottom of this plot, he needed to gain her trust first. She was certainly somehow involved with Snoke's lot. This was Jamie's chance to discover what was happening. Bringing her to a place where they could be alone would probably help her open up to him more. Whatever was going on was for sure more than he had bargained for when he had accepted the mission to protect her. Neither he, nor Luke, had suspected any involvement from Snoke in the matter until recently, when Darth Kai had attacked them.

The Princess had been lost in thought most of the time on the way here. Although she was clearly happy to be in his company, there was something bothering her and, to his dismay, he could not stop himself from thinking that it had to be Darth Kai. Time and again, he'd felt the unexpected and extremely annoying stirrings of jealousy that only through a conscious effort of his orderly mind he had been able to stifle.

Luke had warned him a couple of times about attachment and what it did to people like themselves, who had to do their duty before anything else. While there was no Code in place anymore, Luke had told him a few stories that had had terrible repercussions not only on those involved, but on a lot of other innocent parties as well. Luke had recounted the story of his own family, the incredibly sad story of Anakin Skywalker and his secret wife Padme Amidala. Fear of loss had made Anakin turn to the Dark side. Attachment was a weakness that a Jedi could not afford. That was a lesson that Luke had been keen on.

While Jamie did not believe that Anakin's fear of losing Padme had played the greatest part in his tragedy – from the tales of Jamie's own family, Anakin Skywalker had always been hungry for power and insubordinate - it had certainly contributed to that. It had made him vulnerable, and it had led to that vulnerability being exploited by Darth Sidious.

"Where are we?" the Princess asked, leaning against the metal rail surrounding the sandy path to the ocean. "It's beautiful."

"It's my home," Jamie said, looking up at the clear blue sky. "Come on, Princess, we have a busy day in front of us. Many things to see," he decreed, lacing his fingers with hers and pulling her down the path towards what seemed like a small village perched on a cliff above the sea.

Deanna smiled and let herself be guided, her worries forgotten for the moment. It was warm, the air was clean and fragrant, and the view in front of her seemed cut from an old touristy post card. Nothing like the harsh, dead world of Moraband where she had grown up. Nothing like the Capital with its skyscrapers and pollution. She was glad she had brought comfortable clothes and shoes. She had no clue as to what Jamie had planned for the day, but it seemed that hiking around this area was not excluded...

"Are you going to call me by my given name any time soon?" she asked him, amused at his obstinacy about continuing to use her title.

"I'm afraid not, milady," Jamie replied, turning his vivid blue eyes on her for a moment, and giving her a cheeky smile. "That would be completely inappropriate, don't you think?"

"But it is not inappropriate for you to hold my hand?" she teased back.

"Oh, that's just for your safety, milady," Jamie said. "These paths can be tricky."

Deanna couldn't help but laugh at his prompt reply. They kept walking in silence until they reached the village.

 _Galdar,_ it said on a panel at the entrance to the ancient village. Cobbled streets wound up along cute and colourful old stone houses, with their ornamentally carved wooden balconies, from which pots of colourful flowers hung. They walked down the main street until they reached the old sanctuary that was situated in a pretty square surrounded by old oak trees. A few restaurants and shops were open ,and a couple of people were having drinks under the pleasant sun.

"You were born here?" Deanna asked.

"No," Jamie answered laconically.

When she raised her eyebrows in confusion, he added: "I was born in a village beyond those hills to the right. My family still lives there."

"Do you plan to visit them today?" she asked.

"No, today is about spending time together away from everyone," he replied, as he headed for the sanctuary.

It was a tall, stone-made, circular building, with statues adorning the walls and a glass altar in the middle. A few pilgrims were lighting up candles nearby the altar, and prayed to some unknown deity.

"I don't know if you are interested in these kinds of things," Jamie said, "but this place is pretty famous throughout the Galaxy."

Deanna closed the distance to the altar looking around curiously. "What things?"

"The Force. Many Force sensitive people were born on this planet. Superstitious people come here to pray for protection from the more famous Jedi who have become one with the Force."

"What?" she stuttered, turning around to look at him. Of all the places in the Galaxy...Bad idea.

"Look!" Jamie said, grabbing her hand and leading her to one of the statues adorning the grey walls of the sanctuary. "That is the statue of master Yoda, whose saber you saw at the museum the other day. And this belongs to Obi-Wan, my great uncle. He was born on this planet as well."

Deanna threw an ugly look to the statue that showed an older man with a beard, his hand on the hilt of his lightsaber, and turned to Jamie.

"Has he ever...visited you?"

"Oh," Jamie said matter-of-factly, "I haven't developed that kind of ability yet. It's not an easy skill to learn. But master Luke is able to contact them."

Deanna turned away from the statue, a little relieved. "Can we go?" she asked. "I am rather hungry."

"Sure," he replied, looking one last time at the altar before he followed her back under the sunny sky. "I know a few good places down there at the harbour," He pointed towards the cliff.

It was a long walk down the hill until the harbour in the bay revealed itself. It was a thing of beauty she thought, the clear blue waters, the little fishing boats, the almost black sand of the small beach, the few almost empty taverns along the beach, the white houses in the village, with their blue roofs…

As they reached the beach, Deanna couldn't contain her excitement at the sight of the clear waters, and, pulling her shoes off, she left her companion behind and ran down the stripe of sand until she was half way into the sea, crying out her delight.

Jamie took a few steps down the beach but ultimately stopped not far from the shore, watching her with amusement, his hands in the pockets of his dark robes.

"Come on!" Deanna called.

He shook his head, smiling. "Take it easy, there are many sharp stones on the bottom of the sea," he called to her, but that did not discourage the princess at all. It was funny, he thought, that she could be so spontaneous despite her constant efforts to pull off her part in her father's society. Once again he had the thought that there was a lot more to her than she let surface.

He sat on the sand, enjoying the sun for a while until she returned, and threw herself on the ground next to him, waiting for her clothes to dry.

"I love the water. I must have been nautolan in a previous life," she claimed, studying the rays of light that filtered through the fingers of her hand.

He chuckled. "Who knows? But according to Jedi teachings there is no previous or after life. There's just the Force."

"Pffff...mighty Force," she scoffed.

"Well, it can come handy," Jamie said waving his hand. She gasped when she realised that her clothes were already dry.

Now, he really liked to show off, she thought.

"Should we get lunch, Princess? I thought you said you were hungry," he asked, blue eyes glittering with amusement at the stunned expression on her face.

* * *

"Is the whole planet as beautiful as this place?" she asked, as they sat on the terrace of one of the small restaurants. Her gaze wandered to the sea. They were the only clients at that hour, except for a group of people at a table in a corner. They looked like a big family, celebrating something.

"I guess the scenery is always the same here. For me beauty is diversity. I was happy here, but I am much happier now that I keep travelling. Well, I hope you like fish, because it is usually the only thing on the menu in this area."

Deanna shook her head lightly, smiling as she opened the menu.

Jamie watched her, as she studied the menu in her hand, sitting in that mild sunlight, chewing on her lip, lost in thought, and he forgot to breathe for a moment. Hair shining with a myriad of reflections, long lashes that hid at the moment those deep blue eyes he'd become fascinated by, those lush, rosy lips. He silently wondered why the Force needed to test his resolve this way. Why had this incredible creature had to step out of nowhere into his life? Why was fate playing with them like that?

"Do you know..."he asked, slowly, making sure he had her attention, "just how beautiful you are, Princess?"

Deanna just looked at him seriously for a few moments, then put the menu down. She had heard that all her life. For as long as she remembered, people had gazed at her in fascination and told her the same thing all over the galaxy. But when Jamie said it, it felt different. It did not feel like a simple compliment. He had sounded as if he genuinely knew her. But in fact, he only knew what she had shown him, and the person she had shown him did not even exist.

She tried to think of something to say, but did not find anything. Under that compelling blue gaze, she just stared back silently.

While they had travelled that morning, she had thought of ways to distance herself from the Jedi. Her feelings for him had changed. She could no longer exercise any kind of vindication. While she knew Jamie could never be safe from Plagueis, who knew his powers, she hoped she would be able to send him to safety at least _this time_ around.

However, complications had arisen thanks to Kai's ever unfortunate timing. She knew Jamie did not buy her explanations on her entanglements with the Sith apprentice. She was also sure he would not pass up the opportunity to further investigate any path that might lead to Plagueis.

Time was not in their favour, and Jamie had no clue he was practically in a snake's pit. She had to find a way to send him away quickly, before Plagueis decided it was time to face off.

"I believe I am this close to falling in love with you, Princess," Jamie suddenly continued. "and that is something I cannot afford to do. Not only as a Jedi, but also because _I_ can't afford any such weakness."

Deanna's eyes widened in surprise at these words. She tried to figure out what had prompted this anything but flattering confession. But Jamie's hard expression told her that he was dead serious about both things.

"I took a vow to stand by the Jedi values. I also made an oath to myself that I will not give in to my weaknesses," he said.

The princess knew she should be glad to hear those words. They had to act like rational people and end this thing between them now, while they still could. But somehow, Jamie's detached words made her feel rather resentful instead.

He noticed the involuntary hurt expression on her face, and extended a hand to brush a stand of hair away from her face. "I cannot fight a battle with a clear mind while you or anyone I care about could be in danger," he added. "Those rules were designed for a reason. To protect us from ourselves. I stand by them. I have to, and I want to."

Deanna tried to stifle the feeling of anger rising inside her.

"Why are we here then?" she asked.

"A stolen moment of peace, just the two of us. We both wanted this, or am I wrong?"

She pushed away his hand and nodded.

"I will be by your side, princess. I will protect you until the end of the mission. Fear nothing," Jamie added reassuringly.

"I do not fear anything, master Kenobi," Deanna said, her eyes hardening. "Rest assured that I am perfectly capable of controlling my feelings, and I do not need to follow any Jedi rules for that."

A few moments of uncomfortable silence followed while the two young people resumed reading the menus.

"Jamie? Jamie Kenobi? Is that really you?" they suddenly heard the loud voice of a woman behind them.

A young woman who seemed to be the waitress advanced towards their table, joy and surprise written all over her pretty features.

"That's right, Lina. It's been a while," Jamie said, standing. He thought they'd be far enough from his home not to meet anyone he knew, but apparently he had been wrong.

Deanna followed the exchange with curiosity. Just like Jamie, the woman had blonde hair and vivid blue eyes. For a moment she wondered whether they were related.

 _Maybe not,_ she thought crossly when the woman launched herself at Jamie, giving him a tight embrace and a not at all chaste kiss on the mouth. Jamie did not seem bothered at all, though.

"You're just as beautiful as always, Lina," he said, keeping his arm locked around the woman's waist. "How do you do it?"

"Jamie, you liar," she scolded, giving him a not at all shy once-over, then looking at Deanna. "Who is this?"

"Someone important I'm looking after," he said smiling. "Milady, this is my friend Lina."

"Friend?" Lina scoffed. "If you say so...Pleased to meet you. So what should I bring you lovebirds to drink?"

Jamie looked at Deanna. As usual, he had difficulty reading her, but her silence said a lot about how she felt about this unexpected encounter.

"Did someone say the name Jamie here?" an older man from the family group inquired, closing the distance, and grabbing the Jedi knight's shoulder.

"Kirin, sir, such a pleasure to see you again," Jamie said, turning to hug the older man.

"Don't tell me you were planning to pass though Galdar and not say hello. Have you been to see your parents? There is a rumour you have not returned home in _years_. What are you up to, my boy?"

"Actually, Sir..." Jamie did not finish his sentence, as his eyes fell on a young woman sitting at the other table, a small child on her lap. She was fixated on him, a look of sadness and hurt in her brown eyes.

"I forgot to say Gin is here. With her husband, so behave," Lina said, and walked away with her tray.

"Please excuse me for a moment, milady," Jamie said, before he went to the other table. He spoke to everyone for a while, and hugged the woman with the child.

Lina returned with some water and wine and set them on the table. She sat down at the table, looking curiously at the princess in front of her.

"How do you like it?" she asked, smiling.

"Less and less," Deanna said, taking a sip of wine.

The waitress laughed knowingly. "I knew it. I knew you were more than just _someone he's looking after_."

The princess gave her a stern look. "Nevertheless, this is what I am actually."

"But you like him," Lina continued, in the same amused tone. "Don't worry. Most women I know do. Just look at him. He's so handsome."

"What's with him anyway? What kind of behaviour is this for a Jedi?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at the display at the other table.

"Jedi... _now_ he is a Jedi." the woman said and stood up as Jamie returned. "I'll get the menu of the day for you too. It's nice and freshly cooked."

"I'm sorry, milady. Old friends..."Jamie said and sat down smiling pleasantly.

"Indeed," Deanna said dryly.

He leaned back in his chair, and drank from his water, watching the slightly puzzled expression on Deanna's face with amusement. Clearly, the image she had of the Jedi and of him in particular would soon be shattered by what he had to say.

"Forgive my ignorance, master Kenobi, if that may be the case, but isn't your behaviour towards these women a little...out of place? I mean, in the light of those Jedi guiding principles and rules you mentioned before."

They heard noise as the waitress struggled to bring several dishes to the table at the same time.

"Leave those to me, Lina, they're heavy," he called to the waitress and focused, using the Force to bring their dishes safely to the table, setting them down without spilling a drop of sauce.

Deanna watched, unimpressed at the display of his unusual skills, and continued to glare at him from across the table, waiting for an answer.

"I see there is no way to distract you, milady," he stated matter-of-factly, dropping the pretence of smiling. "If you want some answers from me, then I'm afraid I will only trade for some answers from you as well."

Deanna leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms. So this was the reason why they were here, she thought. It was suddenly clear to her that the Jedi was much more cunning that she had thought him to be. He was already on the path, searching for answers, following the events of the previous evening. Was his display of affection nothing but pretence? Without the Force, it was really difficult for her to be sure.

"Your past does not interest me, master Kenobi," she replied carefully. "It was merely an observation. Also, considering your earlier words, I see no reason why I should answer any of your questions. I don't owe you any answers."

Jamie's eyes glinted with amusement for a moment. "Fine, I will start. When I was young there was a mutiny at the Jedi academy. A padawan by the name of Ben Solo, who was Luke's nephew killed his fellow padawans and became Snoke's apprentice. The academy was dissolved and my master was forced into exile. I was forced to come back to my home planet. I was only eight years old and I thought it was the end of my training as a Jedi. I lived like a normal person for until a couple of years ago, when master Luke came back. I've known many women while I was here, but I never formed an attachment. I intend to keep it that way. You came very close to putting that into question, milady, and I cannot allow that. Now that I am a Jedi again, all the more I cannot allow that."

"Therefore, your observation is incorrect," he finished, "as I have never betrayed my principles. You, on the other hand, by your association with that man, seem to be betraying your father's cause, as well as everything he stood for during his campaign."

As Deanna stayed silent, Jamie leaned over the table and placed his hand over hers.

"Princess, whatever relationship you may have with that man, you must understand he is very dangerous. I beg of you, tell me where I can find him. That's the only way to keep you safe. That man is an apprentice to Supreme Leader Snoke of the First Order. If my guess is right, Darth Kai is trying to get to your father through you. You must understand that whatever he has told you, it is only a lie. That man is not to be trusted."

"In contrast, you are trustworthy, master Kenobi?" she mocked, pulling her hand from his grasp and standing. Jamie's nerve since the day she had met him had never ceased to impress her. He was no ordinary Jedi by any means. "I think it's time for us to return to the Capital."

Jamie knew a lost cause when he saw it. He stood as well and went to pay for their untouched meal, and bid his good bye to Lina.

They travelled once again in tense silence. Deanna tried to convince herself that what had transpired between them was for the best. Jamie hoped she would begin to see reason and help him solve the mystery surrounding Snoke. He knew the princess' pride had been hurt earlier by his words. He prayed he had the strength to keep his own oaths.

When they reached the Capital, it was late. The prince was already back, but he did not call on his daughter.

Jamie changed for the night and fell asleep almost immediately with the thought of trying to contact Luke first thing in the morning for advice on how to take things further. He had failed to acquire the information he'd looked for, and it was time to take more risks if they wanted to find the source of this evil. Just dodging the attacks was clearly not enough to ensure their victory over the Sith.

The princess, on the other hand, almost cried out in surprise as the doors of her room closed behind her. She clasped a hand over her mouth as she scanned the room in dismay. Literally everything had been destroyed in the room, and it bore someone's clear signature. Even the walls of the chamber were charred by lightsaber. She leaned against the door, anger washing over her, especially after the tense day she had just endured.

Kai surely believed that because of her current situation, she would put up with his crap. He was gravely mistaken, she thought. She stepped away from the door and opened what constituted the remainder of her wardrobe. Not one gown seemed to have escaped Kai's fury, but that was not what Deanna was looking for. She retrieved a box containing black, comfortable clothes and robes. She put them on. At the bottom of the box there was a lightsaber. She decided to bring it along, in spite of the fact that she had very little experience with those weapons. She listened carefully. Her neighbour seemed to be asleep, his room dead quiet. She opened the windows and climbed over the sill, glancing down and frowning slightly when it became clear that she could not jump without hurting herself in the process. In any case, she would have to make use of her Force powers tonight if she went after Kai.

She breathed deeply, closed her eyes, and reached out, smashing the strong barriers she had built between her and her surroundings. When she opened her eyes again, she was once more one with the Force. She focused on finding Darth Kai, and it only took a moment to locate him somewhere downtown. She jumped from the window and ran, climbing the wall surrounding the palace in a few swift movements to disappear into the night.

* * *

Jamie was awoken brusquely by the familiar presence tugging at the ends of his consciousness. He stood and went to the window, just in time to catch a glimpse of the dark silhouette rushing through the park and disappearing over the other side of the wall. The Sith woman from Valeant was here, and just like the first time he had felt her presence, he could not stay away.

He watched through his binoculars as she stole without any hesitation the first speeder she found parked in front of the neighbouring building. Jamie smirked and went to the roof to retrieve a proper speeder among those owned by the Prince. He was not worried about losing trace of the woman. Her Force signature was too familiar to him.

He followed her speeder carefully, and to his delight, she inadvertently led him to the hideout of the other apprentices downtown.

* * *

A/N: Many thanks to BlackRoseRaven for betaing this. Thanks for reading.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter XIX**

Kai almost bolted up from his bed when he abruptly woke up at the sound of his bedroom door opening. He squinted at the light coming from the corridor and calmed his ragged breath. A moment later, a tall, solid silhouette emerged, blocking the artificial light from the corridor. Kylo Ren leaned against the door and surveyed his rival with an almost worried look.

"You were thrashing like a crazed banta earlier. Your nightmares are no joke."

Kai stood, wiped a hand over his sweaty forehead, and walked towards Kylo menacingly.

"Did I disturb your beauty sleep, Ren?" he asked, stopping short of bumping into him. "I did not invite you into my house."

The other man watched him impassively. "You should get it together, man. One moment you were happy and the next you were furious and vengeful. Plagueis can help you get these dreams under control. Does it happen often?"

"It does not happen often, Ren," the other man snapped, pushing him aside to exit the room, "…problem is when it happens, it's a bad sign. There wasn't one of these bad dreams which did not turn out to be, as a matter of fact, a premonition to a situation that became reality later."

He went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. Ren watched him down the glass curiously.

"Do you have any good premonitions?" he asked, but there was no sarcasm in his voice.

"Actually, this one had started really well. Then it turned into something I don't even want to think about. I cannot but hope that it will never come true." He braced his elbows on the kitchen counter, looking unseeingly at the cupboards before him; Ren could tell by the way the muscles in his back tensed that Kai was really worried.

"In time, with proper training, dreams will pass," Ren said matter-of-factly, grabbing the water carafe and pouring some for himself. "Although," he added frowning slightly, "part of your nightmare might be happening right this instant."

Kai had felt it too; he whirled around, and shook his head as if to clear his mind.

They heard Deanna calling Kai's name a couple of times, before a lightsaber blade pierced through the blast door securing the apartment.

"I'll get the door," Ren said simply, hurrying up to make sure the door would not be destroyed beyond repair.

He pressed the button and found himself face to face to the furious princess who look hell-bent on killing Kai. She was wearing dark robes and her hair was in disarray. She was clutching a blue lightsaber in her right hand, and her eyes betrayed all the anger she felt.

She did a double take though when the doors opened suddenly, and she found herself staring at Ren, instead of whom she was expecting to find behind the door.

"Princess," Ren saluted, bowing his head slightly, and tried to hide his amusement at the surprise written all over her face. "I was planning to meet you tomorrow, but if you are here..."

Deanna frowned. "Later, Lord Ren. I have pressing business with Darth Kai." He smirked and stepped aside to let her in.

She entered and switched off her lightsaber. Her eyes fell on Kai, who watched her, unmoving, from across the room. Ren threw him a glance over his shoulder, and for a moment he thought he registered a wary expression on the other man's face, before Kai schooled his features into a mask of sarcasm and indifference.

"I see you received my message, Princess," he said, crossing his arms over his bare chest and raising an eyebrow at her.

Deanna nodded, as if to herself. Then, with a swift move she had Kai crush against the cupboards behind him. She held him against them, as the shattered content of the cupboards started to fall out, smashing into pieces on the ground. She advanced on the Sith apprentice, blazing blue eyes boring into his. Kai held her gaze without hesitation, a painful smile curling up his lips. Despite a halfhearted attempt, he did not manage to counterbalance the force keeping him up against the wall.

"I did, alright," she said. "And I'm here to tell you that I'm not going to take any of your harassment anymore. I've had enough, do you hear me, Kai?" she asked, pointing a finger at his chest.

Kai's forced smile grew into a content leer at her words. "Who's harassing who, princess? It's not me barging in on you in the middle of the night," he said and raised an eyebrow at her suggestively. The princess flushed scarlet at his words.

"That's enough," she hissed. Kai felt his throat constrict further, cutting off his air supply.

Ren sighed loudly and raised his hands almost defensively. "I don't want any part into these lovers' quarrels. If you will excuse me…" He left for his room.

Deanna ignored his remark, but liberated Kai, who grunted and rubbed at his right shoulder, which had suffered the full impact of being crushed against the cupboard. He glared at her through the unruly gold curls that fell across his eyes.

"Get your lightsaber and follow me. We'll settle this once and for all," she said, turning away.

"You want to duel me?" Kai asked incredulously.

"Outside. You and me, Kai. Now!" Deanna called over her shoulder. She stepped out through the debris and headed for the two speeders parked outside his apartment.

Kai almost rolled his eyes at her words. It was the most ridiculous thing he had heard lately. He was even surprised she knew how to switch on that saber. He went back to his room and changed swiftly, grabbing his saber on his way out.

* * *

Jamie halted his speeder far enough from the building not to be detected. He used his binoculars to get a view of the only apartment with the lights on at that hour. In the large living room and the open kitchen beyond, he could easily spot Darth Kai speaking to Kylo Ren. It looked like they lived together despite their rivalry.

"Found you," he muttered.

Kai was dressed in black pajama pants and drinking something. His frame was impressive, even from the distance. Jamie wondered absentmindedly just how much time the apprentice put into his physical training. His own training had stalled since he had taken on the mission to protect Deanna.

Ren was explaining something, or rather, was, until he went to open the door of the apartment. The woman Jamie had followed stepped in. The confrontation that followed took Jamie by complete surprise. He had been expecting some kind of a secret meeting between the Sith….Instead, they seemed divided after all…

The woman got into her speeder, and Kai jumped in his own state of the art speeder and followed her. Jamie kept close enough not to lose them and tried to shield his presence as much as possible. However, the two of them seemed so focused on each other that they did not pay him or any other person any mind.

Finally they stopped on the rooftop of an abandoned industrial site. The two left the speeders and exchanged a few words before the woman drew her saber and attacked the other apprentice fiercely. At first Kai did not even turn on his lightsaber. He just dodged the – in Jamie's opinion – inexperienced attacks directed at him. If Jamie could read him, the apprentice was completely relaxed, even amused. Was she someone they had just recently recruited? the Jedi asked himself. She seemed to have no clue as to what she was doing. His question received an answer when the woman suddenly produced a force shield and the apprentice's amusement was gone in an instant, whirling his saber to protect himself just in time. Her second shield was less predictable and before Kai could dodge or parry the attack, he was thrown off the roof, falling tens of floors below.

The woman switched off her saber and walked to the edge of the roof, looking after her opponent. After a moment she turned around as if she had decided to get back to her speeder, seemingly not caring too much as to what had happened to the other apprentice.

Jamie was speechless watching that display of Force knowledge which went beyond anything he had witnessed so far. However, his curiosity won against his better judgment. This person intrigued him more than anything. Ever since the moment he had spotted her on Valeant, surrounded by the other apprentices he had been inexorably attracted to her, as if fate itself was pushing him towards her. For a moment, he thought about the princess he had abandoned back at the palace without a second thought the moment this woman had shown herself, and felt a pang of guilt.

He knew he'd better go back to the palace and his mission. This was beyond the remit of what master Skywalker had entrusted him to do, but Jamie couldn't help it. Before he knew what he was doing, he got out of his speeder and walked in the woman's direction.

She was facing away from him and the hood of her black robes hid her face, but he could tell by the way her shoulders tensed that she had felt his presence. She did not turn around to face him though.

Jamie was not sure what to say. He obviously had a million questions to ask, but did not even know where to begin. Common sense told him she was dangerous. He drew his saber and closed the distance, waiting for her to strike unexpectedly. It did not happened.

The small cloaked silhouette before him seemed tense and stood frozen, and in the Force Jamie could read surprise…indecision…a trace of fear.

"I had hoped we'd meet again," Jamie finally found his words. "Ever since that day on Valeant. It is you, isn't it?"

She partially turned her head at his words, her face still in the shadow of her hood. The feeling in the Force changed too. _Relief_? _How odd_ , Jamie thought.

"Who are you?" he asked.

She took a step away, and in the direction of her speeder, and Jamie hurried in her direction, switching on his lightsaber. He was determined not to let her get away before he found out more, or at least her identity.

"Stop!" he ordered raising his saber menacingly, not far from the woman's side. "Answer my question!"

She wavered, trapped. Jamie wondered why she was not attacking him as she had done with Darth Kai.

He clutched the handle of his saber, prepared to strike if he did not get his answers. The woman must have read his resolution because she stepped away, swiftly activating her own saber. One moment later their blades crushed dangerously and she tried to gain distance again. Her behavior frustrated Jamie. He did not understand why she refused to face him and was trying to get away instead.

He attacked again, now furiously, and she was barely able to parry his blows. Finally she Force-pushed him and managed to close the distance to her speeder. _This is ridiculous_ , Jamie thought getting back on his feet and with an ample jump he was right in front of the speeder, blocking her way.

"Don't think you can run!" he said.

He fenced and before she could parry, he pierced her right shoulder with the blue lightblade. The woman cried out, dropped her saber, and took a step back clutching at her wound incredulously.

"There is no escape," Jamie said harshly. "Why won't you face me?"

She took a few more steps away from him, looking more like a trapped animal than like Sith apprentice. She could have used Force shields against him, but she had not done so. For reasons he could not fathom, she had still not said one word, and she was hiding her face behind the thick veil of her hood.

Jamie moved swiftly toward her again, but this time she took him by surprise by Force pushing him again and jumping over him and directly into her speeder.

Before he could get back to his feet, she had hit the gas and the speeder rushed away. Jamie smirked at the frail attempt to run. The speeder was a piece of junk and he would have no problem catching up with her in the Prince's state of the art speeder. He almost _walked_ to his speeder and got in, knowing there was no way she could get away.

* * *

As she sped off, Deanna clutched at her bleeding wound, which hurt like hell. She had little experience with Force healing, so this could quickly turn bad. She was losing quite a bit of blood and did not even want to know what her shoulder looked like.

Throwing a look back, she gasped when she realized Jamie was in pursuit, and rapidly closing the distance.

This evening was truly a nightmare. She wordlessly cursed her idea of going to Kai's apartment in the first place, and Kai himself for relentlessly provoking her until she had lost her cool.

She had to lose Jamie, but had no idea how to do it. He seemed like an experienced flyer. She could not return to the palace until she lost him, and her shoulder was bleeding worse with each moment. Her mind was racing, but her emotional state was not helping find a solution…suddenly, she felt unexpected resentment against Jamie. Why was he so cruel? How could he wound someone who had not even tried to attack him and had been on the defensive the entire time? Was that even proper Jedi behavior? What was wrong with him, really? She wondered, tears obstructing her view for a moment. She brushed them away with her aching hand. How come he could not sense she meant him no harm? She found that she was somewhat frustrated that instinctively he couldn't tell who she was, but she preferred not to dwell on it. Her identity was not to be found out, no matter how much she hoped that Jamie would finally realize who she was, and that he was in grave danger. That he would get away, while he still could...

Instead, he was dense enough to wound her and follow her through the capital like a madman.

She sighed, noting that he was not far behind now, and she pressed the gas pedal to the floor, hoping there was still a chance to lose him on the way.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar Force signature right beside her. Focused on Jamie, she had not even felt Darth Kai approaching. He was driving his speeder in parallel with hers at close distance. "Get in!" he hollered, giving her a furious look. "Now!" he added when Deanna made no move.

She threw another look behind herself, noting Jamie was now close behind them.

"I swear, if you don't jump, I will take him out!" Kai yelled again angrily, enraged by her lack of reaction.

Deanna froze at his words, knowing he would not hesitate to engage Jamie. She reluctantly let go of the steering handles and made the jump, trying to ignore the sharp pain the move elicited in her shoulder.

Kai used the Force to send the out-of-control vehicle in Jamie's direction, who managed to stop it midair and Force-push it out of his way at the last moment. The speeder crashed into a nearby building and exploded, but Kai's diversion had succeeded in delaying Jamie.

The Jedi halted for a moment, completely taken by surprise by the dark apprentice's intervention. Hadn't the woman just tried to kill him earlier? Why was he helping her? His mind racing, he hit the gas again, knowing that Kai's speeder was much faster than the one he had been pursuing before.

Kai gave Deanna an angry look. "Why was he there?" he asked. "What happened?"

He sighed, noticing the terrified way the princess was looking behind her.

"You're safe, Princess," he said derisively. "He's no match for me."

He smirked as he watched Jamie's speeder closing the distance.

"Hold on, princess. I'm taking a shortcut. Let's see you catch up now, Jedi scum!" he said through gritted teeth, and sped off vertically towards the ground, making a path through the speeder routes, and avoiding incoming vehicles with his unusual skill. Deanna screamed and put her arms around her head in fear.

Kai smiled and shook his head when he saw her. He noted he had lost Jamie on the way to the city ground.

"As expected," he muttered, steering away from the center towards the palace.

Deanna breathed deeply, happy they were still alive. When she had followed him last time in his mad exercise she had not imagined at what speed Kai had gone down. He was either completely mad, or perhaps so in synchronicity with the Force that he could see any impediment before it came…

"You know the city well," she finally found her voice when he stopped the speeder next to the window of her apartment in the palace.

Kai ignored her comment, and with a wave of his hand, the window opened. He jumped into her room and Deanna followed, wincing when she was reminded of the wound in her shoulder.

Kai looked around, still aggravated. He felt stupid for having started this whole nightmare by destroying the room. Deanna leaned against the wall behind her. She was feeling weaker and weaker and hoped he would go soon, so she could summon a medical droid. She did not want to show weakness in front of him.

Kai turned to face her. "It's my fault if he discovers who you are. Although I've wished for it all the way," he confessed.

"Why did you intervene then?"

He looked at her and closed the distance, until the princess had almost melted into the wall behind her.

"I know how much you wanted to keep your identity a secret from him," he whispered, his arms closing unexpectedly around her. The princess' first thought was to push him away, but a feeling of warmth and safety washed over her as he did so. She gradually relaxed into his embrace instead and said nothing.

"All that happened tonight is my fault," he continued. "Should anything happen, I will take responsibility for it with Plagueis." Deanna rested her head against his chest, feeling drained after the evening's events. Kai sounded apologetic, sincere, and for the first time there was more to him than his usual taunting and lust she had felt in him before. He bowed his head and brushed his lips almost chastely against her forehead, then rested his hands against her shoulders, ending their closeness.

"You're hurt!" he exclaimed when she winced in pain at his move. "Son of a …" he began, then halted when he tore off the material of her sweater and realized the gravity of her wound. Deanna yelped in pain, and tore her eyes from the charred and bloody skin of her shoulder. Kai swore again quietly and placed his hand over the wound, focusing for a few minutes, until she felt that the bleeding stopped and the pain subsided.

"You'd better hurry and get a medidroid, princess. My Force healing skills are limited," he said.

Deanna smiled weakly. "Please go."

Kai went to the window and regained his speeder.

"Kenobi will be here soon. I'm not sure leaving you on your own is a good idea. Are you sure he did not recognize you?"

The princess shook her head. "Positively," she said bitterly. Could Jamie have wounded her so badly if he did? Absolutely not.

The Sith apprentice nodded reluctantly, then sped away.

Deanna watched him until he disappeared in the night, then called for Coralia. The handmaiden was horrified when she found her wounded. She hurried with a batch of bacta until the droid arrived, and she fussed over her mistress.

"Milady, why? Why were you involved in fighting? Lord Sidious must be turning into his grave. He never wanted this for you," she said.

"I know…I don't want to either, Coralia. I don't know what to do," Deanna said, fresh tears coming back to her eyes, as the elderly handmaiden stroke her hair affectionately.

* * *

Jamie parked his speeder near one of the few open bars at that hour, and decided to get a drink.

He desperately needed it.

He made his way through the colorful crowd inside the place and asked for a glass of strong alcohol. He leaned against the bar and looked unseeingly at the people around him while he downed his drink. Wasn't this ironic, he wondered, that he was indulging in alcohol, when he should have been meditating to gain clarity of spirit before going back to the palace?

The moment he had seen Kai intervene, something had clicked into place, and the missing pieces of information he had been searching for during all this time had come together. The problem was, Jamie hated what they had revealed.

The Sith woman on Valeant, surrounded by the other apprentices. The princess who had detested him from the beginning. The confrontation between Kai and himself. The inexplicable way she had saved his life. The evening when he had found her fighting with Kai at the party. Their mock of a duel tonight. Kai's intervention to save her. Unintentionally, the dark apprentice had revealed her identity when he had rescued her.

So she was a Sith. The plot was surely thickening. She'd deceived him during all this time; she even went as far as pretending she had fallen in love with him…Jamie felt anger cloud his judgment at the thought. He knew he had to contact Luke as soon as possible. But not before he confronted Deanna, he decided, getting up.

Jamie went back purposefully to his speeder, anger coursing through his veins like molten lava. She must have thought she had deceived him. She must have taken him for a blithering fool all this time. He was going to show her just how wrong she had been.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading everyone. Obrigado! Merci!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter XX**

Upon his return to the palace, Jamie hesitated for a moment in front of the doors separating his room from Deanna's. She was hiding her ability with the Force again: he could have sworn that the woman in the neighboring room was a regular human with no Force sensitivity whatsoever.

He could sense she was awake though, and could picture her in front of her vanity combing that beautiful hair the way she always did before going to bed. She was definitely alone. If Darth Kai had been there, he had left in the meantime.

So she had decided to keep up the act. Jamie not so much.

He bit his lip and pushed the doors open without bothering to knock. The view in front of him managed to shock him despite the evening's events. It all made sense when he saw the charred room which, despite the handmaidens' efforts, had not been completely restored. The princess herself sat at her vanity, but instead of brushing her hair she was lost in thought, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. She blinked in surprise when she saw him enter the room. She stood and faced him, uncertainty flashing over her features. She was wearing a white nightgown trimmed with lace and silk robes on top, and her hair hung neatly braided to her tiny waist. Jamie thought she looked so innocent that no one would have guessed what hid behind those delicate features.

He looked around the room and shook his head in amusement.

"Now I understand why you were so mad with him earlier this evening, princess," he finally said.

Deanna tightened her robes around her and gave him a studied look of confusion.

"Not sure what you are talking about, master Kenobi," she replied.

"I would be mad, too," Jamie continued, undisturbed. "In fact, I would have had his head sooner if I were you…well, provided that you could actually handle a lightsaber."

He closed the distance between them, and Deanna recoiled on instinct. Somehow he'd still figured out her identity tonight. Unless Plagueis sensed she was in danger, she was on her own and Jamie was no easy opponent.

"He has tried to ruin your cover so many times, but I've been blind to it. Tonight, the only time he actually aimed at protecting you, he blew up the entire plan. Poor guy," he said derisively.

Deanna crossed her arms, trying to keep her calm.

"Have you had a little too much drink, master Kenobi? I would say so," she said, giving him a disapproving once-over.

"Not enough, unfortunately," Jamie replied, grabbing her arms and pulling her close to him. "Let's cut off this act, princess. I'm here to get some answers."

"It would be easier if I knew what you meant," she said, trying to push him away.

Jamie smiled grimly at her, annoyed by her repeated endeavors at sticking to her plan. He grabbed her wounded shoulder roughly. A few drops of blood stained her robes almost immediately.

"You should get a proper medidroid, princess. This one did not do a great job," he whispered, glaring at her.

Deanna winced and wrung herself free from his vicious grip. She took a step away from him, and he could spot a trace a fear in her eyes.

"When did you figure out who I was?" she asked, emotion clear in her voice.

Jamie gave her the same grim smirk, and tilted his head, studying her expression. "Well, that's the issue – you see, I still have no idea who you really are. But tonight when Darth Kai decided to suddenly jump to your rescue, despite the confrontation between the two of you that I had witnessed earlier, I realized that the Sith woman could only be you."

A shadow passed on Deanna's face, but she remained quiet.

"Try to be reasonable, princess. Tell me what is happening and I might spare your life. After all, you did go through tremendous efforts to get your plans to work. You almost had me wrapped around your finger. A few more days and perhaps you would have succeeded in making a complete fool out of me," Jamie added bitterly.

He smiled again when he saw Deanna's eyes throwing daggers at him. That was more like it. He had had enough of the innocent little princess.

" _I_ made a complete fool out of _you_?!" she shot back, anger cursing through her words. It was not the first time Jamie had accused her leading him into temptation, when today she had discovered he was anything but a stoic Jedi. "Why should I be the one to blame for your feelings, master Kenobi? When are you going to take responsibility for yourself?"

That struck a nerve with Jamie. It was true, there was no one to blame for his feelings. He'd been stupid enough to fall into her trap. He'd prided himself over not getting attached to anyone, not even his family, or friends back at the Academy. He'd prided himself for enjoying the physical love of many girls and remaining clear-headed throughout the years. All to be ruined in a few days, by someone who likely did not even return his feelings. Most likely she felt something for Darth Kai, otherwise every encounter between them would not have been so fervent and confrontational at the same time.

Jamie's eyes flashed with irritation, and with a wave of his hand, he immobilized Deanna, who looked at him with unbridled fury in turn. He closed the distance, observing the endearing blush coloring her cheeks as he invaded her personal space again.

"I thought about this a little bit on the way here, princess, and by the looks of it, you, Kylo Ren and Darth Kai are dancing to the tune of someone else. Someone powerful. Someone with a plan to destroy the New Republic and the Jedi Order. I have a suspicion as to whom this person may be."

"Then it was not so smart of you to come back here, master Kenobi," she whispered, feeling, to her despair, her heart speeding up in his proximity.

"Tell me, princess, what is your father up to, and perhaps I will let you live," Jamie demanded, drawing his saber. Deanna eyed it anxiously. She'd dropped her own saber back at the industrial site where they had first fought.

Jamie switched on his lightsaber and watched indecision paint her face. The same uncertainty he read on her features was reflected in his own mind. He considered his options for a moment. If she resisted, he couldn't just kill her, in spite of the fact that she had turned out to be a Sith, and his worst enemy, who had set a trap for him.

It was outrageous, really. It was exactly what Luke had advised him against so many times. He had grown attached to her, and he could not simply, cold bloodedly, kill her right now.

On the other hand, he could not just leave without getting answers either. He wasn't even sure he would have time to get away before the Prince had his men on his trail.

He decided that the only way to deal with the situation at hand was to bring Deanna with him and let Luke deal with the complications. Luke was wise enough, and neutral enough to know what to do.

He advanced on the immobilized princess; he grabbed her arm, and pulled her close. "Since you're not prepared to give me any answers, I'm afraid you'll have to come with me." Deanna's eyes widened in disbelief at his words, but before she could reply, they heard someone else's recognizable voice behind them.

"And I'm afraid that is not possible, Kenobi. You see, she cannot go anywhere with you, since she has an appointment with _me_ ," Kylo Ren said. His statement was followed by the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber being ignited.

Jamie let go of the frozen princess and whirled around only to find Ren smirking at him, red lightsaber in hand. He was not wearing his usual mask.

"I decided to let myself in, princess, seeing as the door was open," Ren continued, nodding slowly in Deanna's direction, who was watching him incredulously, but obviously relieved by his intrusion.

Jamie stepped away from the princess and frowned.

"I wondered when you'd make an appearance again, Ren," he said, pointing his lightsaber at the Sith apprentice. "But your appointment seems most inopportune."

Kylo smirked. "I've waited for this for a long time, Jamie, or should I call you _master Kenobi_ now that you have earned the title? You were incredibly lucky that night, to be away. But I will finish the job now. This time I do not need a mandate to kill you."

Jamie did not seem impressed by Kylo Ren's words.

"You think I was _lucky_?" he asked coldly. "I would say our poor colleagues were extremely unlucky, because I was away that night and because you were coward enough to kill a bunch of younglings. Now let's make this quick, I'm kind of in a hurry."

A shadow passed on Kylo Ren's face and he advanced on Jamie decided to finish with him once and for all. Every time they met, Jamie's arrogant assertiveness somehow managed to get to him. Luke had always preferred Jamie over his own nephew, and even though he was a few years younger than him, Jamie's skill had been remarkable even at that young age.

"What did I tell you the last time we met, Jamie? Arrogance is blinding you and it will lead to your demise," Kylo said, pouncing on his enemy.

Their blades clashed, sparks flying around the room. Deanna retreated as far as possible from the commotion, focusing on becoming once more one with the Force. As she did so, she felt a familiar presence approaching.

"He's kind of a slow learner, as far as I can tell," Kai's voice came a few moments later from the doorway. "What are you doing here, Ren? I told you he's mine to kill."

Kylo Ren couldn't help rolling his eyes at the interference.

"No, he's not, Kai. I've waited a long time for this opportunity," he replied, not turning around, his attention still on Jamie, who looked from one Sith apprentice to the other with obvious displeasure.

Kai's saber sprang to life and he attacked Jamie enough to make him take distance from Deanna. The apprentice moved into his place, switched off his saber, and leaned towards the princess. "You alright?" he asked quietly. She nodded, surprised by his gentle tone.

"Your wound is bleeding," he said, touching her shoulder gently. Deanna instinctively recoiled, but a moment later she felt the pain leave her shoulder. Her eyes shot in surprise to Kai's face.

"I knew I should not have left you alone," he said, looking over at Kylo Ren and Jamie who had resumed their angry duel. "Stay here."

He pressed the button on the hilt of his saber and the weapon sprung back to life.

"Don't be so selfish, Ren," he smirked at the other apprentice, engaging Jamie as well.

Deanna watched the fight with concern. The space of her room was limited and despite his superior speed of movement, Jamie was finding himself increasingly cornered by his opponents. It really was a pity, she reckoned, that Jamie had not fled when he still had the chance. As things stood, she could not help him without disclosing her weakness for him to Plagueis.

Jamie was not as worried as she was. Although he was outnumbered, he was sure he would eventually come victorious. Kylo Ren's skill with the saber was pretty impressive, but Jamie was still faster and more ingenious at using the Force to his advantage than the Sith apprentice. On the other hand, Jamie understood very quickly that he had to avoid engaging Kai at close range.

At some point he whirled his saber so fast that he managed to superficially wound Ren in the right arm. However, that gave Kai an opening to pounce on him and lock their sabers close to Jamie's torso. Kai put all his strength in pushing the luminous blade into his chest, and Jamie eventually had to use the Force to disengage. However, that did not prevent the Sith apprentice from grazing Jamie's arm with his saber. Up close, Kai's brute strength was downright frightening, Jamie thought.

On the defensive now, the Jedi knight took a few steps away from his opponents. It was highly unlikely that he'd be able to defeat them both at the same time, and in such a small space. He needed to make his escape. Jamie retreated towards the door, as the two Sith regrouped, both Kai and Kylo preparing to attack again. The wheels in Jamie's head turned quickly as he watched the men in front of him. Kylo Ren swirled his saber the way he always did when he planned to imminently attack. The man had not changed at all, Jamie reckoned. Kai's eyes were blazing, his jaw set, his saber at the ready. He looked determined to claim his life.

However, both Sith apprentices froze into place when they felt Plagueis' Force presence intensifying and quiet steps approaching. The Supreme Leader, dressed in interior blue velvet robes, entered the room and eyed the scene before him with discontent. On cue, Kylo and Kai lowered their sabers and bowed.

"How can one sleep with all the rattle you three are making in here?" he asked, crossly, but there was a pleased undertone to his voice that Jamie did not miss. He turned to look at the master puppeteer, his guard still up.

"You are Snoke," Jamie acquiesced.

"If you so wish, Jamie. I suppose you could also call me by that title. But between us, Force users, I go by another name, far more famous. Darth Plagueis, at your service," he said, bowing his head in mock courtesy.

The Jedi knight almost dropped his saber at the older man's words.

"It cannot be," he murmured.

Plagueis cackled, amused at seeing Jamie at a loss.

"This was not part of my plan, young man," he gestured to the general mess in front of him.

Jamie straightened, looking at the Supreme Leader without a trace of fear. "What was your plan then?" he asked. "Because so far it does not seem to be working particularly well."

"Oh, but it does, young man. You just can't understand yet, that's all."

Jamie's heart sped up in alarm. Had something happened to Luke and the others? He had not felt any particular disturbance in the Force as of late, and still, here he was, surrounded by the Sith.

"There is still time to join us," Plagueis, a smile playing on his thin lips.

"I would expect that by now you would know my character well enough, to tell that such thing is not even remotely possible, your Highness," Jamie coolly replied, gripping the handle of his saber harder in his fist.

Darth Plagueis sighed in mock surrender. "I guess that's true. Well, he's all yours to kill now," he said, looking past Jamie, at Deanna. Jamie turned to face the apprentices once more.

For a moment, he expected the two Sith apprentices to resume their attack. But they just stood there expectantly. Kai looked slightly worried, while Kylo Ren turned to stare at Deanna with mild interest.

Slowly, but very distinctively, the room was filled with Deanna's now very familiar Force presence. She stood unmovingly, watching Plagueis through narrowed eyes. Jamie could feel a wave of profound dislike washing over her.

Plagueis' smile was still there. He extracted a double-bladed saber from the pocket of his robes and showed it to her invitingly. "For that purpose, I thought you might like this little present," he said, throwing it to her. Deanna caught it, but did not take any steps in Jamie's direction.

Jamie resumed his guard, completely unsure of what she would do. Earlier in the evening she had refused to confront him at all costs, but would she do the same now, after he had badly wounded her? He noticed that above her shoulder blood continued to stain her white silk gown, and a feeling of regret welled up inside him, despite the circumstances.

Kai suddenly closed the distance to Plagueis: "Master, the Jedi is dangerous. Let me kill him instead," he whispered.

"No, this is Deanna's revenge," Plagueis said, waving him off.

Kai stepped away, his worried gaze returning to Deanna.

"What did I do to you, Princess, that you would want vengeance against me? As I recall it, I even saved your life once. Is this how the Sith repay a good deed?" Jamie suddenly interjected, a feeling of anger washing over him, as he glared at the hesitant princess.

Plagueis chuckled behind them, terribly amused and thrilled at having the princess thus humiliated. His revenge was finally beginning to taste sweet enough.

Darth Maul's saber trembled for a moment in Deanna's hand. She knew she could not hurt Jamie, and she had no means to save his life either. If only she could create some sort of diversion, so he'd be able to get away safe and sound. However, such possibility seemed very remote, with the three Sith facing her expectantly.

"This game is over," she said, gesturing in Plagueis' direction.

"I told you before, Deanna. It will be over when I say it is over," Plagueis replied, and this time all the amusement in his tone was gone. "You have played your part terribly in this game. I must declare myself very disappointed."

"You got what you wanted in the end, didn't you?" she sneered, regaining some of her nerve as her Force powers returned.

Plagueis seethed, seeing his authority once again put into question before his apprentices by Sidious' insolent daughter. He suddenly turned to Kai and Kylo.

"Take him to the basement until I decide what to do with him."

Jamie raised his saber ready to strike at the two apprentices, but he cried out a moment later when Plagueis sent a Force field at him, making him drop his weapon. Kylo summoned Jamie's saber to him and the two of them surrounded the knight. Kai bowed at Jamie's ear, while he roughly pulled him out of the room.

"Please, please, give me one tiny reason to kill you, Jedi scum," he whispered in his ear. "You have no clue how much I've dreamt of it over the last few days."

Plagueis watched them walk out into the corridor with interest, then turned to Deanna.

"Well Princess," he said, "It seems that I finally have something you care about. I had suspected you had feelings for the young Jedi for a while, but this evening you have confirmed my suspicions. Now you'd better follow my demands to the letter, or I _will_ kill him."

"I have no feelings for him. Like he said, I felt in debt to him, and that is all. Moreover, in the end, he was not the one who killed Darth Maul," Deanna said.

This time, the Supreme Leader gave a whole hearted laugh.

"Are you really trying to fool me, or yourself, Princess?" he asked sweetly, closing the distance between him and his former apprentice's daughter.

"You will learn to do what I tell you, or else Jamie will suffer hell," he continued, caressing her hair, while Deanna watched him with disgust. "When you arrived here you had nothing to gain and nothing to lose, and it was a pain to try and control you. Now, you will have an incentive to submit to me. Finally."

His bony hand traced down the princess' neck, enjoying her discomfort.

"I apologize, master. May I have a word with the Princess?" Kylo Ren suddenly interjected, entering the room.

Deanna closed her eyes, relieved, then looked at him gratefully when Plagueis unwillingly stepped away from her.

"By all means," the old man replied, leaving the room. He wondered what could be so urgent at that hour. Whatever it was, since it involved Ren, it could not be good.

Kylo paused, watching Deanna with his inscrutable dark eyes.

"Shall we take a walk, milady?" he finally asked.

Deanna nodded and grabbed her ruined cloak, wrapping it around her.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading and great thanks to our beta BlackRoseRaven. Sorry for the long wait, next chapter is on its way. Stay up for Rey's arrival in the capital...**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter XXI**

The basement of the palace was not at all as Jamie had expected. Apart from a couple of apartments where no one seemed to live anymore, there was a big training room, with many heavy training weights neatly arranged along the walls, and in the middle, a broad empty area for sparring or lightsaber dueling. He had expected some kind of prison cells, but there were none. Darth Kai and two armed men who could have been storm troopers in civilian clothes led him into the training room, and after quickly inspecting the surroundings, prepared to leave him alone without a word.

Jamie looked around and quickly understood that there was no way out of this place, unless someone opened the door from outside. The room had no windows, and the walls were made of massive blocks of grey stones. Even if he had his lightsaber, it wouldn't have helped him escape.

Again the Jedi wondered if something had happened to the other Jedi in training, to Luke and to Rey: Darth Plagueis had said that his plans were working. How far had he gone in his revenge this time? The last time Plagueis had executed his plans, many younglings had been killed at the hands of Kylo Ren. He needed to escape and soon, if there was still a chance to help the others.

Perhaps his only ticket out was actually the Sith apprentice.

"Why didn't Snoke kill me?" Jamie called to the other man. Kai halted in the doorway. He glanced at the knight over his shoulder.

"You're more useful to him alive than dead," he replied.

"I will never yield to the Dark Side and he knows it," the knight said. Kai did not say anything, he just smiled knowingly, which only served to unsettle the Jedi further.

"What's all this?" Jamie continued, gesturing to the training weights and machines in the room.

Kai finally turned around, and crossed his arms over his broad chest. He knew what Jamie was playing at and decided to play along. If he could not kill him, at least he would have some fun tormenting the Jedi.

"These are my toys," he replied. "This is my playground."

"Oh," Jamie smirked, using the Force to levitate a particularly heavy training weight from its place and send it in Kai's direction. "Like this?"

Kai caught the metal weight just as easily in his hand and sent it back effortlessly in its place without the use of the Force. "No. Like this," he returned Jamie's smirk, when the weight landed with a loud thud in its place on the floor.

"Is your mastery of the Force that weak that you need to compensate with all this physical training?" Jamie challenged, hoping to get a reaction out of the Sith apprentice.

"No," Kai remarked unconcernedly, to Jamie's disappointment. "But not everything has to be done using the Force. It would be a waste of my powers."

Jamie remembered Rey's words, back on the Falcon when he'd levitated her lightsaber.

"If your powers are so weak, then indeed it would be a waste," he shot back, growing annoyed by Kai's lack of reaction. There was something in the attitude of the Sith apprentice this evening that was disconcerting. While whenever they had met before he could feel the Kai's hatred towards him, as well as his seething jealousy whenever Jamie was close to Deanna, the atmosphere tonight had been quite different: apart from a profound dislike towards Jamie that was still there to some extent, Kai had been rather indifferent to him.

Kai just stood there, watching him with a mildly amused expression on his face, as if he knew exactly what Jamie was planning.

"You haven't even begun to see the extent of my power," he said. "Also, before Plagueis even designates me as his successor, you will be long gone."

It wasn't true. It was not at all what Kai had seen in his foretelling dream. On cue, Jamie sensed the lie and caught a glimpse of the apprentice's thoughts, before Kai was able to shield them.

"You," Jamie said, in awe. "You have the gift of premonitory dreams, just like Anakin Skywalker. You can see the future."

Kai was taken aback by Jamie's intrusion in his thoughts. For a moment, the dark apprentice was tempted to show his opponent part of his dream, knowing how much it would put down the knight. His hesitation was brief, though. A feeling of superiority washed over him, knowing he held the upper hand – at least for now – and instead, he turned around and left the room, locking the door behind him.

* * *

Rey had an uneventful trip to the Capital. Finding the palace was also very easy. Everyone knew where the future chancellor lived. However, meeting Jamie turned out to be a lot more difficult.

As she couldn't simply show up at the palace and ask to see him, Rey took an observation point from across the street. She knocked out the two guards at the residence in front of the palace and climbed the fence. Once inside the courtyard, she climbed the highest tree she could find and waited, her binoculars in hand.

Day turned into night, without her being able to sense Jamie's presence anywhere around. She was beginning to grow both impatient and worried, when a speeder pulled out in front of the palace across the street and Jamie climbed out, extending his hand to a much smaller silhouette, who ignored his polite gesture and climbed out on her own, heading for the palace doors without looking back. Rey's heart sped up at the sight of the young woman Jamie was accompanying. A feeling a familiarity washed over her, and she smiled.

"At last!" she muttered, although she was not entirely sure the woman Jamie was accompanying was the one she had seen on Valeant, the one she had communicated with before. The one she had been longing to meet. For so long the Sith lady had shielded her presence, while Rey had desperately sought her soothing spirit in the Force. The princess still hid, and with Jamie there, it made sense as to why she had suddenly disappeared from Rey's radar. She sighed watching the figure of the princess gracefully glide inside the palace, Jamie trailing not far behind, his attention so fully focused on her that he did not even sense that Rey was so close.

Puzzled, Rey focused now on him, trying to get a sense as to what had happened to the person she had always looked up to, apart from Luke himself. She was surprised to find that Jamie was troubled, confused, even angry. She could not be certain of what the princess had done to throw Jamie off-balance, but, by the way his stare was glued to the silhouette before him, Rey easily did the math as to the current state of affairs. As unexpected as it was, even the Jedi order's new star knight proved to be human after all. She used to consider him a sort of demigod, a superior creature of the Force, but now she discovered with concern that he was also prone to mistakes. Apparently she had arrived at an opportune moment.

She decided to wait a little longer for things to calm down in the palace before she broke in to recover Jamie.

However, not even fifteen minutes later, Rey's plan crumbled when she could feel the familiar Force signature of the princess. She was relieved that her suspicion that the princess was in fact the Sith lady was confirmed. One minute later, a dark clad figure climbed the wall surrounding the palace and jumped into the first speeder parked near the palace, taking off. Rey shook her head at the princess' choice: "You won't get too far in that one," she muttered.

However, she was quickly distracted when Jamie flew by in pursuit.

"This can't be good," the Jedi murmured, but decided to wait for their return. She was almost asleep about an hour later when another speeder passed by in a flurry, and the Jedi felt once more the familiar presence of the princess. She was not alone, but it was not Jamie accompanying her this time. Rey jumped down and went towards the back of the palace where the speeder had gone. From there she did not need a high observation post: the speeder had stopped at the first floor of the palace and a man dressed in black robes had entered the room through the window. He seemed familiar with the place and the alarms did not go off. The princess followed him into the room. The Jedi watched them through her infrared binoculars and with a gasp: she recognized Kylo Ren's rival, Darth Kai. The two Sith talked and embraced and Rey rolled her eyes in exasperation at Jamie's lack of perception. Or was it precisely because of this that Jamie was angry and confused? She sighed, thinking that things would be a lot more difficult if this apprentice ended up involved in her plans…

Jamie returned much later than Rey had expected, but what took her completely by surprise was Kylo Ren's sudden appearance at the palace in the middle of the night. Rey had long severed their connection and had not sensed his presence in the Capital. Truth be told, she had not expected him to be in the Capital at all.

By the time she had seen the rest of the events of the night quickly unfold, Rey was sorry she had not intercepted Jamie on his return to the palace. She had wanted to be discreet, and sneak into the palace once lights had gone out. Seeing how Jamie had been ambushed by the Sith and taken prisoner, she now had to come up with a plan B.

She had just climbed the palace fence and was preparing to stealthily break into the palace to retrieve the other Jedi knight when she spotted two familiar silhouettes quietly strolling through the vast gardens.

"Oh, you can't be serious, Ben," Rey said angrily to herself jumping down and taking shelter behind a nearby tree.

The odd pairing had halted, discussing quietly about fifty meters away from Rey's hideout.

* * *

"I have to admit, I was surprised to see you at the palace in the middle of the night, Lord Ren," Deanna said as she and Kylo descended the staircase and exited through the back door of the palace into the gardens.

Kylo wrapped his dark robes around him, suppressing a shiver as the cold night air surrounded them.

"It was urgent to see you, milady. A great many things have happened since we have last spoken. I wanted to make sure that you would still be interested in our…collaboration," he replied carefully.

Deanna's thin smile was hidden by the hood of her cloak.

"I presume preparations are in an advanced state then?"

Kylo halted, as he considered they were now far enough from the palace. He leaned against an old tree and scanned the surroundings. He had the nagging feeling that someone familiar was nearby. However, at the same time he could feel that Kai, Plagueis and Jamie Kenobi were in the palace and unable to hear the dangerous conversation they were having.

"Your supposition is correct, milady. My knights have command of all the key command positions in the fleet. Once the signal will be given it will be easy to place all officers loyal to Plagueis himself into custody. I will personally take care of general Hux if necessary."

Deanna nodded and crossed her arms. She seemed preoccupied.

"That is one aspect," she said quietly. "What do you plan to do about Plagueis?"

The Sith apprentice took a deep breath, turning his hypnotic dark eyes on the princess. "This is the most uncertain part of my plan, milady, and it is here where I need your collaboration. Unless you've changed your mind."

"Why would I change my mind?" Deanna interjected, meeting his eyes with determination. "I feel more trapped than ever. You saw it before, tonight. The old man will never let me free from his grasp. This whole plan is his revenge against me and my father. He can no longer enjoy revenge against my father, so he's chosen me to torture until he gets satisfaction. Why would I change my mind then?"

Kylo Ren hesitated, then looked away. Despite the unexpected turn of events that evening, and Plagueis' insinuations about Deanna's weakness for Jamie, Kylo couldn't help thinking that despite their constant confrontations, the princess and the young apprentice's chemistry was obvious to the naked eye. Perhaps she was not aware of that yet?

Deanna caught a glimpse of his thoughts and blushed despite herself. Ren was of course very wrong in his assumptions, but she had no particular desire to talk about that.

"Anyway, what do you need me for? Be clear, Lord Ren," she urged him.

Kylo looked at his gloved hands for a moment, then finally made eye contact. "When Lord Plagueis completed my training, we had a final fight. I was not able to best him – it was a draw. It was my best result against him, but still, it was a draw. I have not been able to become better than my master," he admitted, a hint of shame lacing his words.

Deanna seemed amused by his words.

"As far as I know, very few Sith apprentices have bested their masters throughout the history of the Order," she said. "My father was unable to defeat Plagueis too. It was one of the reasons he chose to ask for my help."

"This was what I wanted to ask…Plagueis accused you of attempting to murder him together with Lord Sidious. What was your role in that?" he asked curiously.

A shadow passed over her face. It was clearly something she did not like remembering.

"My father craved to leave the shadow of his master and create his own dynasty. He did not believe in living forever or creating life by manipulating the midiclorians, but he believed in creating his own line of successors. At some point, as I grew stronger with the Force, he wanted to leave Plagueis' side forever. He knew his master would not allow it. But Plagueis had always enjoyed my company. As I grew up he often asked for my presence and asked me to read to him. It was an excuse, his lust for me was obvious, disgusting…But father considered this advantage to his plans…That fateful day I took him by surprise and restrained him using the Force, and my father used his saber to strike him down. We thought he was dead. I still don't know how he managed to survive. Anyway, my father alone perhaps would not have succeeded, but I could manipulate the Force more than both of them. I still can."

Deanna looked into Kylo's eyes. "If you need me to confront Plagueis, you can count on me," she said fiercely. "I will help you. I must escape his grasp once and for all."

He nodded. "Provided that we succeed, will you have any claims with regard to the First Order?"

Deanna snorted, looking away. "No, Lord Ren. You can have the Galaxy to yourself, as long as you let me live in peace, away from here."

"Then we have a deal, Princess. We will speak again soon," Ren said and turned away, disappearing into the shadows of the gardens.

Deanna stayed on the spot, until she heard quiet steps approaching, and smiled to herself.

"I had begun to think you'd never find me, Rey," she said, when the lithe Jedi stopped at her side.

"You have made yourself quite inconspicuous lately, milady. No wonder it was hard to find you."

"Circumstances have demanded that," Deanna said, lowering the hood of her dark robes. Rey almost gasped when her eyes caught a glimpse for the first time of those angelic features. No wonder the princess charmed everyone around her. "Why are you here?"

Rey hesitated, hiding her hands in her pockets nervously. Deanna contemplated the young woman in front of her with curiosity. There was something simple and pure about this girl, a lack of sophistication – from the plain beige tunic and leggings to her basic way of wearing her hair – that the princess paradoxically found fascinating.

"Are you here for Lord Ren?" Deanna remarked.

"No, Kylo does not want me here," Rey replied miserably. "He'd be appalled if he learned I came to you."

"He's right to think that. You two are playing a very dangerous game."

"It's too late, I am afraid," Rey said, looking around, her eyes glossy with tears. She seemed to be struggling with herself for a few moments. "I came here to meet you in the hope that you would accept my request," the Jedi finally said.

Deanna's jaw almost dropped when the girl suddenly dropped to her knees in front of her.

"I need a teacher," Rey said simply, tears welling up in her eyes.

Deanna was speechless, and Rey pushed her thoughts to her, too nervous to articulate any coherent sentences. The princess could see it in her mind: her fears of failure, her training stalling, her confrontations with Kylo in the Dagobah system, Kylo killing some of his followers to rescue her, Kylo holding her, telling her not to get involved.

"He does not want me here" she said, "but my place will always be with him."

"That's for the two of you to sort out," Deanna said abruptly, liberating her hands that Rey had been grasping fervently.

"Ever since that night that we connected for the first time," Rey continued, "I knew there was someone who could understand me. Who could teach me. I've wanted to meet you since that moment. Can't you see? It's the Force's will."

Deanna sighed. "I am not an accomplished Sith warrior. There is little I can teach you about that."

"It's not your mastery of lightsaber that I need, but the ways of the Force. The dark side can teach me that," Rey argued.

The princess took a couple of steps away from the kneeling Jedi.

"You're here for the wrong reasons, Rey. You're not here for the Dark Side. You're here to stay close to Lord Ren. The Dark Side is not to be taken lightly. I've told Kylo this before. The fact that you cannot excel as a Jedi does not mean that you can simply turn to the dark side. The dark side is a conscious choice. Others have tried before and have failed miserably."

"I am making a conscious choice," Rey said with conviction. "Even if it is for the wrong reasons. And you are right: I am not choosing the Dark Side. I am choosing Kylo."

Deanna shook her head, then looked at Rey, schooling her features.

"Well then. Let us test that resolve of yours. If you pass my test, I will consider taking you as an apprentice."

Rey stood eagerly.

"Help Jamie escape the Capital," Deanna said. "I cannot be involved in that."

Rey watched her with wide eyes. "But why…?"

Deanna did not answer. She extracted a double edged saber from inside her robes and presented it to Rey. "This belonged to Darth Maul. I was told it is a weapon that's hard to master. But since you carry that saberstaff with you, I guess you will have no difficulty with this one. I will expect you in my chambers, once you liberate Jamie." she said. "If you succeed in your task, I will first teach you to shelter your presence. That is capital, otherwise you will be easily found."

Rey grasped the double edged saber with both hands, bowing slightly in acknowledgment.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter XXII**

Jamie jumped to his feet when he heard the short commotion and sensed Rey's presence outside the blast doors. A few moments later, the doors opened and he was met with Rey's familiar grin. She was still brandishing around her newly acquired, yet impressive lightsaber. Jamie blinked as the red blades vanished and she hid the weapon inside her robes.

"Rey!" he acknowledged, closing the distance. "I did not expect to see you here. Did Luke send you?"

The girl smirked. "Obviously," she replied. "Glad to see you have everything under control."

It was Jamie's turn to laugh, a little relieved too, now that he had a real possibility of escape.

"Things got a bit complicated here," he explained. "Turns out that Snoke is the Prince of Hasterion. He has decided to reveal his identity to me…"

"I saw what happened before…when they were all here, including Ben. Come on, let's make a run for it, I don't know how much time we have."

They exited the training room. Jamie noticed the two guards lying unconscious on the floor, and wondered what their fate would be when Darth Kai discovered them.

As they reached the ground floor, Jamie tugged on Rey's sleeve. "Wait," he whispered. "We cannot leave without the princess. She seems to be the key to Snoke's plans. Luke needs to speak to her."

Rey sighed, hunching her shoulders slightly. "We can't do that, Jamie."

"It's not that difficult. We can get to the first floor. I can't feel the apprentices' presence anymore. She's alone."

Rey turned around and met his eyes with some difficulty. "The princess asked me to free you. She does not wish to see you, though."

Jamie's eyes hardened. "You spoke to her?"

"Let's leave this place first and I will explain," she replied, turning toward the back door of the palace. Once they were in the gardens, she followed the known path and climbed the surrounding wall.

Jamie eyed a speeder parked nearby. "Let's take it," he said, nudging Rey.

She got into the pilot's seat and they sped off towards the closest public transport hub. Jamie leaned back in the comfortable seat. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Is everyone okay? Master Luke…."

Rey shook her head, staring ahead.

"Snoke ordered the padawans dead. He thinks Kylo Ren killed them, but he didn't."

Jamie stared at her profile in horror. "But then Snoke also ordered Darth Kai to kill Marcus and Narci. And he did. We and Master Luke are the only Jedi left."

Jamie hit the speeder's board in frustration.

"That's why he said his plans were working."

"Who said?" Rey inquired.

"Snoke is none other than Darth Plagueis. Emperor Palpatine used to be his apprentice." said Jamie. "Bringing me here was just part of his plot. I'm still not sure what he planned to do with me, since he did not kill me on the spot."

"I saw everything," Rey told him flatly. "I'm glad he did not order you to be killed right then. I'm not sure I would have made it in time to save you."

"Walking into that snake's pit would have been a very bad move, Rey. You couldn't have helped me either."

"She refused to kill you, though. The princess. Perhaps she is not as evil as you think she is." Rey remarked in the silence that had ensued.

Jamie was quiet and tense for a moment, before he shook his head and looked away.

"I think she has…feelings for me. I'm not sure how to qualify them though. Could have been pity or a sense of gratitude since I saved her life…Or maybe just pity after all. To be completely fair, I never actually saved her life, since he had no intention of killing her in the first place."

"If by _he_ you mean Darth Kai, you can be sure of that." Rey said. "They're lovers."

She felt Jamie tense again at her side.

"How do you know that?" he asked, trying hard to control his voice.

"Their behavior said a lot when they arrived together at the palace this evening," Rey said. "You should forget about her, Jamie. No good will come out of that," she added after a moment.

"There's nothing to forget, Rey," Jamie said abruptly, relieved they had reached their destination.

Rey parked the speeder and jumped out, Jamie following her closely. They easily found the public transport ship that could take them to the solar system where Luke had taken temporary residence. Rey bought the tickets and they made their way into the ship towards a row of seats. Jamie sat without a word and fastened his seatbelt, lost in thought.

The girl hesitated.

"Wait here," she said. "I need to get some…stuff."

As Jamie's thoughts were still revolving around the night's events, he did not notice Rey's bizarre behavior. She exited the ship and waited. The automatic doors soon closed and were secured by the pilot. Jamie looked around in alarm and ran to the window just in time to see Rey waving at him.

"Sir, please take a seat, we are about to take off," the copilot argued with the young Jedi knight.

He felt Rey push her thoughts towards him, as the ship departed. _I have to stay behind. There are some matters I need to take care of here. Please tell Master Luke not to worry_.

 _Rey what is this?_ Jamie asked telepathically, startled by her incomprehensible behavior.

 _May the Force be with you, Jamie._

He could see her waving at him once more, before the ship made the hyperdrive jump and he found himself on the ground.

Astounded, the knight made his way back to his seat. It was the second time he had lost Rey, and he was sure Master Luke would not be happy. Jamie hoped that her decision to stay behind had nothing to do with Kylo Ren, but he knew well that he was only fooling himself.

Although he was more confused than ever, at least the veil of the Dark Side had fallen. He now knew his enemies well. Snoke's plan of bringing Jamie among had also allowed Jamie to learn about each of them, about their strengths and their weaknesses. All the same, how he and Master Luke were to fight this evil remained still very much a mystery.

* * *

Rey returned to the palace, taking all possible precautions not to be spotted by Snoke's guards, who had been placed by Darth Kai at all the key positions around the building and its appendixes.

She carefully avoided Deanna's handmaidens and entered the princess' room. By the looks of it, her arrival had been impatiently awaited.

Deanna stood immediately from her vanity and turned to her, an anxious expression on her face.

"Everything went well?" she asked, without trying to mask her concern.

"Yes. Jamie is off the planet safe and sound."

Deanna sighed in relief and sat back down staring at her feet.

"The Force be praised. Well done, Rey," she murmured.

Rey was a little taken back by Deanna's reaction to the news. She had expected the princess to be relieved at the most, but she looked positively overjoyed by the news. If she only pitied the Jedi knight, why was she so concerned with his fate?

Deanna's voice suddenly jerked her out of her musings: "You need to get changed quickly. I also need to teach you how to hide your presence in the Force before either apprentices come back to the palace."

The princess went in the adjacent room and returned with a handmaiden's set of clothing.

"Go and change, Rey," Deanna ordered, indicating the bathroom door.

Rey walked up to her and took the clothing without a word. When she walked back into the room fifteen minutes later, she was barely recognizable. She had taken a shower and changed clothing. Her damp hair hung loosely around her delicate features.

"Have you reflected while I was gone, milady, as to what you plan to do about me? Have you decided whether to grant me my wish?" Rey asked.

Deanna levitated a brush into her palm and signaled Rey to join her on the bed.

"I told you, there is little I can teach you about the ways of the Sith lords and their powers. I only know about the Force. But if you want to stay around me to get to Kylo Ren, then fine, you can stay here for now."

Deanna used the brush to detangle the girl's locks. "Thank you," Rey said quietly. "I do not want to become a Sith either. I wish I could bring him back to the light, but since I can't, the least I can do for him is to stay by his side and help if I can."

Deanna shook her head in amazement at her words, but finished arranging the Jedi girl's hair in a complicated hairdo and pulled the hood of her cloak partly over her face, the way the rest of her handmaidens carried themselves.

"If you are found, I cannot guarantee your life, do you understand?" Deanna muttered. "My own life hangs on a loose thread right now. Plagueis hates me and will not be content until he destroys me."

"Ben will find a way to get rid of Plagueis," Rey whispered. "He craves Plagueis' power. He craves to get that power that had slipped through Vader's fingers; Vader, who chose to give it up for the sake of his family."

The princess nodded softly, pained by her words. Of course, it had been Vader who had killed her father. Who had betrayed the Empire. Whose nephew was also trying to destroy the First Order out of his own greed and ambition.

"You have to focus now, Rey. You need to let go of your Force powers for as long as it takes for you to go around unrecognized."

"Yes, milady," she said.

By the time the sun rose above the hills surrounding the palace, Rey had managed to completely mask her presence in the Force. When Darth Kai made his way into the Princess' room he found Rey busying herself with housekeeping, and Deanna fully dressed and made up for the day ahead.

"Why are you here?" the princess asked calmly, knowing all too well that Jamie's disappearance would have caused an uproar as soon as it had been discovered.

"Lord Plagueis summoned me. No need to tell you that he will be furious!" Kai said, without hiding his anger. "You helped Kenobi escape didn't you?"

"If I wanted to do that, I would have escaped with him, wouldn't I?" Deanna replied just as calmly. There was no way that they could prove her involvement in Jamie's escape.

"Both you and I know well that that is not true," the Sith apprentice roared, closing the distance. "It was obvious last evening that he resents you too much right now, and he hates the fact that he's fallen for you!"

"All the same, when he came here last evening, he wanted to take me to Luke Skywalker. He hoped I would talk about Plagueis' plan."

"But now he does not need you anymore, Deanna. He knows who we are."

"Yes, but he does not know what we're up to next."

Kai sat on the side of the bed and shook his head, unconvinced.

"I am relieved to see him gone," he suddenly said. "I'm not sure what Lord Plagueis had in store for you and Kenobi, so from my point of view it's best he's not around anymore." He smirked and watched the princess' expression with interest. "I would have preferred him dead though."

Deanna scoffed and stood, trying to bypass him, but Kai was too fast. He grabbed her arm and glared at her: "I don't know how you did it, but I'll forget it this time. However, I forbid you to put yourself in danger for Jamie Kenobi again. Do you understand me?"

The princess wrenched her arm free from his grasp and glared in return at Kai who was now towering over her once more in an intimidating manner. "What makes you think you can tell me what to do? You are seriously crossing a line here, Kai," Deanna said angrily.

Kai threw a glance to Rey who was busying herself in a corner with laundry. "What are you still doing here? Get out!" he ordered, his look thunderous.

Deanna gave her an imperceptible nod and Rey exited, carrying her basket of laundry.

Kai stared quietly at the princess for a moment, then let go of her arm. "I care for you, princess," he admitted, almost in a whisper. "Does that not earn me the right to at least try to keep you safe?"

He looked dead serious, Deanna thought, studying those intense azure eyes. Something she could not quite grasp yet passed between them at that moment, and her she felt her pulse accelerating. Embarrassed, she looked away.

"It is unlikely that Jamie and I will ever cross paths again," she said.

"This is where you are wrong. Kenobi will not be able to stay away from you."

"You sound so sure of what you are saying."

"Trust me, I wish I wasn't," he said bitterly and stepped away. "I will go now, princess, Lord Plagueis will not like me being late. One more thing: I would pack if I were you. As soon as Luke Skywalker finds out the Prince's real identity, he will inform the Senate. They will try to arrest us, so you'd better be prepared to leave the Capital. Ren has already returned to Moraband."

* * *

That evening, Luke contemplated Jamie in silence as the young man stabbed absent-mindedly at his food, clearly lacking both appetite and focus.

He was relieved that Jedi knight had made his escape from the Capital and discovered Snoke's true identity. Early in the morning, the Republican guards and Leia's resistance soldiers had turned the candidate chancellor's palace upside down, but their intervention had proved belated. The Prince was gone and so was all his entourage.

Leia Organa had been floored by the news that the politician she'd put all her hopes in proved to be the very evil she had fought for years. Luke had little consolation to offer. As always, the Dark Side had proved more insidious than they had anticipated. Luke himself had lost his two fully trained Jedi knights; he'd lost Rey out of her own will; and he almost lost the padawans again.

Luke was almost sure Rey was not coming back on her own. He'd had his doubts about letting her go to the Capital in the first place. He did not know whether it was even worth going out and find her, since she seemed determined to once again tie her fate with Ben Solo's, despite all the risks…and Luke knew he could not forcefully make Rey stay with him and Jamie and the padawans.

However, at the moment, dealing with Jamie was more of an urgency. While he'd come back safe, the young man was far from well. He was seriously troubled, and marked by what had happened in the Capital. He had chosen to give Luke access to all his memories relating to his mission in the Capital, instead of recounting anything to his master. Clearly he did not feel like talking about what had happened. Luke understood far too well what was happening with his student. Anger, resentment, thirst for revenge, frustration; he could feel them all coming off Jamie in waves. In the afternoon he had walked into their improvised training room to find all the dummies destroyed completely and the room itself in shambles, a couple of disconcerted padawans watching their idol in awe.

Luke was jerked from his thoughts when Jamie set his fork loudly on the table.

"I'm sorry master, I have no appetite. I will go train instead," the young man said, getting up.

He barely registered Luke's reaction, when the other man raised a hand to stop him.

"Sit down, Jamie. I know you don't need me to lecture you about anger, and revenge, and where it takes us. But I have something to tell you nonetheless."

Jamie reluctantly sat back down, fixing Luke with a terse, distracted stare. Luke hesitated for a second, trying to find his words. He had never shared such thoughts with anyone before, but he trusted Jamie completely and the young knight needed to see that he could find the strength inside to move on, despite having been deceived by the Sith.

"When I found out that Vader was my father, I felt I could not survive such trial. I was desperately looking for a place to belong, and when he offered me a hand I was tempted…you can't imagine how I was tempted. Only your uncle's words of wisdom and sacrifice gave me the strength to resist the Dark Side then."

Jamie frowned at his words. He respected Luke Skywalker like no one else in his life. To hear that even someone of that moral status and self-discipline had been so strongly tempted by the Dark Side and managed to stand up to his beliefs gave him courage and calmed his anger a little.

"You cannot fight the Dark Side with anger and greed, and thirst for power, or lust for something or someone you cannot have Jamie. You cannot fight it with its own weapons. That is not the way of the Jedi. That is not how we have been victorious before. The Sith are different from us. There is more than one Jedi who fell into this trap and were lost to the Sith."

"I know, master, but that's the way I feel right now. No matter how much I try, I can only think about destroying them all. Plagueis, the master puppeteer, the source of all this evil, and that minion of his, Darth Kai, that brainless brute he's got as his apprentice…and Kylo Ren, who's betrayed us more than once just to satisfy his own greed…and the Princess, she's been… "

He trailed off, looking away from Luke, and missed Luke's slight smile.

"She really is a princess…" he said. "When I met her that day at the Senate, I thought she looked familiar. Yesterday I remembered why."

That got Jamie's attention.

"I had seen her before, I was not wrong."

"Where?" the young Jedi asked, confused.

"In history holograms. When I was studying for the Academy, we had to know about the Empire. We also had to know about Palpatine. The Emperor had had a daughter, murdered at young age. She was a politician in training, there was very little information about her, all that had happened in the times of the Republic."

"How come you remembered?"

"Well, it's maybe once in a life time that one sees a creature of such beauty. I was young once too, you know."

"So how can it be that she is alive then? It must be almost a hundred years since…" Jamie trailed off.

"Only Plagueis knows that I guess. I can only suppose she's been in some kind of cryogenic sleep. The real question is why he brought her here. Certainly it was not to test you."

Jamie closed his eyes for a moment, feeling his anger return in full force.

"Certainly not. I'm not that important, master. She said something about the game being over and Plagueis said it's over when he decides. I could feel how much she hated him at that moment."

"What we thought was an awakening that night, it was probably her. She's very strong with the Force."

"She is, but untrained, at least with weapons."

"That matters less, Jamie, you know by now that our strength does not reside in whirling lightsabers around."

Jamie nodded, knowing all too well that Luke was right.

"What do we do now, master?" he asked, a little more appeased.

"Now we wait."

"We wait for what? We must find them, and fast."

"When Deanna decided to let you go, she knew Plagueis would be de-masked. At least on that front we've won a victory. He will not be able to assume political power. Now that their short lived alliance had turned sour, it is a matter of days before the fight for power between the Sith will begin. Plagueis will want to punish Deanna, maybe even kill her, if she does not serve him anymore; she will need to make allies, and fast."

"She relies on Kylo Ren. You saw in my memories, the evening I was caught… he came to speak to her."

Luke gave a hearty laugh at his words.

"Jamie, she is the daughter of the Emperor. Ben is the grandson of the man who killed her father and he is now walking in his uncle's footsteps, trying to assume control of the remains of the Empire. She will not have that, I can assure you."

Jamie sighed. "You're right, master, such alliance is unlikely."

"As I said, we will have to wait and witness this power struggle. When the victor emerges, we will have to face him. Meanwhile, I beg of you, try to let go of what you feel."

"I feel nothing, master," Jamie said, entrenched, confronting Luke's calm blue eyes.

"The Sith are nothing like us. They source their strength from their passions. Their thirst for achievement drives them. We _really_ are not two sides of the same coin. Remember that," Luke said and stood, brushing Jamie's shoulder in encouragement.

Jamie nodded absent mindedly, banishing again and again the thought that Deanna had taken a serious risk to save him when it was completely uncalled on her side. Had it been to annoy Plagueis? Did she want to start a war with the others? Would she rely on Darth Kai to protect her? The thought made him wince. He reckoned that in the end, Luke was right: he had no alternative but to wait and see what the power struggle would bring. However, no matter how furious he was with the princess for having deceived him, he had to admit that he was worried for her life. Sitting here and waiting, without knowing what was happening was unbearable.

Luke suddenly stepped back into the room, an anxious expression on his face. Jamie's heart skipped a beat.

"It's all over the news," Luke said. "The First Order has a new Leader."

* * *

 **A/N: So sorry it took this long to publish this chapter. Next one will be up really soon.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter XXIII**

Darth Kai found the Supreme Leader in his vast apartments on the third floor of the palace. He sat in his reading room, staring unseeingly at the open volume in front of him.

"You asked for me, my master," the young man said, bowing deeply the way he always did in Plagueis' presence.

Plagueis raised his gaze from the volume before him and waited a few moments, appraising his student. Around them, in the surrounding rooms, Kai could hear the servants packing and preparing their master's immediate departure. "Deanna let the young Jedi get away," Plagueis suddenly said. "We have little time now, before Republican troops arrive."

"I've already cleared my apartment downtown, Master. I was just waiting for your orders."

The Sith Lord stood and took a few steps around the room, clearly fighting with himself over something.

"We have no choice but to eliminate Deanna. She has made it obvious that she can never be trusted. She wanted to start a war with me and she has now taken the first step. Losing the chancellor position and going back into hiding are major setbacks for us."

Kai took a deep breath. "Master, you were not wrong. Deanna's feelings for the Jedi are strong and that's what pushed her to let him go free. I strongly doubt that she meant to start a war with you. She just wanted to save him from a certain death, regardless of the consequences. I believe that in her panic she lost sight of the bigger picture."

Plagueis chuckled darkly at his statements. He had expected some resistance from Kai to begin with.

"Either way, my young apprentice, it is obvious that her loyalties will never lie with us. She is of little use to me now. She will never make for a suitable leader of the First Order and she will never re-forge her father's empire. I want you to kill her before she puts us in even more danger."

Kai was silent for a few moments, his inner turmoil obvious to his master. Plagueis sympathized with him for a moment, but knew all too well there was no way around it: if this young, impetuous Sith was to rule the Galaxy in his place, he would have to prove that he was able to let go of his weaknesses, as well as show full loyalty to his master and the First Order.

"Go now, Darth Kai. Once you are done, meet me at the bay. Kylo Ren is awaiting us there with the ship," he ordered with finality, sitting back with his book.

Kai's gaze hardened. "As you command, my Master," he said, and left the room.

Plagueis did not look up. He knew exactly what fight was going on in his apprentice's mind. His slight smile was almost fatherly as he muttered to himself:

"That's right, my young apprentice. You made the right choice."

* * *

Rey barged into the princess' chamber, throwing her basket of laundry on the ground: "Princess!" she called at the top of her voice, "Princess, we need to go, right now!"

She nearly ran into Deanna, who she almost did not recognize. She was wearing fitting black leather leggings and a tunic and her chestnut hair was neatly pulled back in two thick braids down her back.

"Shhh, you're making too much noise. Where have you been? The handmaidens have been looking desperately for you. We almost left without you. Let's go."

Rey followed the princess to the window, where Lady Coralia was waiting at the steering handles of one of Plagueis' brand new speeders. Deanna threw her bag in the back seat and jumped in. Rey followed.

"How did you know Kai was coming for you?" Rey asked as the speeder took to the air.

The princess shot down the storm troopers guarding the gates and the speeder passed through.

"When Plagueis summoned Kai this morning I knew something was wrong. He had no reason to summon him here. He made his intent quite clear."

The princess suddenly shivered and looked behind them.

" _Deanna_!" she heard Kai reaching out to her through the Force.

"Allow me, ma'am" Rey said, replacing Coralia at the steering wheels. "Where are we heading?"

Deanna closed her eyes, hiding her presence in the Force once again. Kai's presence in her mind subsided, and eventually disappeared.

"I followed Darth Kai to Plagueis' study. I heard the old man telling Kai to kill you," Rey continued. "I bypassed him in the corridor on the way back. He looked like he was hesitating, but held his saber at the ready."

Deanna did not comment, and Rey thought about the cruelty of it all, of this situation where the master had asked his apprentice to execute his beloved. She wondered about how miserable the princess must be feeling about this as well.

"Plagueis also said that Ben is at the bay with a ship waiting for them to leave the Capital."

The princess looked sharply at Rey, as if she had woken from a dream. "We will head to the bay immediately then. We have to get there before Plagueis. But we have to stop at the Museum of Fine Artefacts first. There is something I need to recover."

Rey hesitated. "Why at the bay of all places? Aren't we supposed to get to safety? You want to be faced with the three of them?"

"No, that's why we have to get there before Plagueis and Kai. We need Kylo Ren and his ship."

"Ben will not leave with us," Rey said, still not sure of the princess' intentions.

"We'll have to make him, then," Deanna said resolutely, getting out of the speeder in front of the museum. Rey knocked out the guard who wanted to stop them. Deanna walked quickly through the rooms until she found the room where all the ancient lightsabers were exposed. She moved around the glass cases until she found the one she was looking for.

"Look, this is master's Yoda," Rey exclaimed, somewhere in the middle of the room. Deanna rolled her eyes and broke the glass of the case before her, grabbing her father's lightsaber.

"Let's go!" she called to Rey.

Outside, Lady Coralia was waiting for them impatiently.

"Milady, we need to get out of here. The city is swarming with Republic troops and Resistance fighters."

"Fine. Rey takes us to the bay, please."

Rey hit the gas, wondering what Deanna was planning to do once they reached their destination.

* * *

When the speeder stopped not far from the landing platform, Rey took a deep breath and thought back to her Jedi training, willing herself to calm down.

"He's just behind that building. He knows I'm here," she said to Deanna, who stared in front of her impassively. "As close as we are now, no matter how much I try to close our connection, it does not work."

"It will be fine, Rey. We proceed as discussed on the way here," the princess replied, nodding to lady Coralia.

The elderly woman got out of the speeder with the bag.

Rey felt the handle of the double edged saber inside her robes, and met Deanna's eyes one more time.

"May the Force be with you," she whispered, almost to herself as an encouragement, and Deanna smiled at her, and watched the girl disappear behind the wall fencing the landing slopes, her saber at the ready.

The princess waited a few more moments, inspecting the surroundings before she followed Lady Coralia.

Rey breathed, feeling her heart drumming madly in her chest. She entered the large landing platform, and her eyes set on a large war ship, and in front of it, the tall, black clad silhouette of Kylo Ren. He was just standing there, watching her from behind the mask she hated. Around him, a few storm troopers busied themselves with loading the ship.

She closed the distance, her hand grasping her saber. She could tell that he was tense as well.

"What are you doing here, Rey?" he questioned, his deep voice distorted by the helmet.

"I need that ship, Ben," she replied, activating the saber. One of the red blades sprang to life, then the other. Ren eyed the weapon for a second before looking back at her face.

"What is this weapon, Rey?" he asked, switching on his saber and trying to engage Rey at close range, to take advantage of the significant difference in physical strengthbetween them. The girl did not allow him to get close, keeping him at a good distance thanks to the two dangerous blades she kept whirling at him.

"It's great isn't it? I believe I like it better than my previous one. It suits my style."

"Rey, this is foolish!" he admonished her, repelling her attack half heartedly.

His tone of voice enraged the young woman and she doubled her efforts, obliging Ren to retreat towards the ship.

A few shots were heard and Kylo suddenly understood that this was no more than a diversion.

"Who are you covering for, Rey?" he rasped, pulling off his helmet and engaging the young Jedi woman at close range, forcing her to wince under the pressure of his arm when their sabers locked again.

Rey resisted the assault for a few moments, avoiding the knight's questioning eyes. She always found it more difficult to resist his assault on her mind when he was not hiding behind the mask. She rolled to the side and away from him. Kylo felt something was wrong, but his attention was still fully focused on Rey. He did not notice the small silhouette approaching from behind him. He was preparing to follow Rey when he was forcefully sent against the ship. He lost consciousness, and a trace of blood appeared instantly at his temple. Rey switched off her blades and went to him, bowing over him, worried.

"Princess, did you have to be so forceful? He's hurt," she called to the other woman.

Deanna shrugged, unimpressed. "He's a big guy. He will survive. Levitate him into the ship. The road is clear back there." Her eyes were trained on the entrance to the cargo bay. Plagueis and his suite were already there. She braced herself for the confrontation she had been trying to avoid.

The Sith Lord entered, framed by a few of the captains of his personal guard. His eyes fell on Deanna, who was waiting for them, still as a statue, her arms folded inside her robes. Only her restless eyes betrayed her nervousness. This was not part of her plan. Plagueis had arrived much too soon.

"Princess, what a surprise. It is the last place I hoped to find you," Plagueis spoke evenly.

"Just let me go. That's all I'm asking," she said.

Plagueis laughed out loud, sinisterly.

"Do you think that's why I saved you? That's why I brought you back to life? That's why I involved you in my plans? To just "let you go"?"

Deanna swallowed, her throat suddenly painfully dry. She'd always subconsciously known that all that Plagueis wanted was to torment her. He could no longer take revenge against Sidious. But Deanna was still alive and vulnerable, and he had seized his opportunity to make her suffer.

She urged her heartbeat to calm down and eyed her adversaries with a calculating look.

"I could never forget what you did to me that afternoon, my dear," Plagueis cackled. "I will never let you go. The only way you can leave my side is by all means NOT alive."

Deanna gripped the handle of Lord Sidious' saber inside the pocket of her robes.

"You should be dead. And so should I. Let's put an end to this."

"Get her!" Plagueis gestured to his guard, but only sent them to their deaths when the princess used force fields against them.

Plagueis looked at the bloody, fuming bodies on the floor with some amazement. Then his gaze moved back to the princess' face: "You surely have inherited your father's ruthlessness, my dear."

"Don't take my desperation for something else, lord Plagueis," the princess replied, readying herself when the old man raised his hand, sending a strong force field in her direction. She reacted, meeting him half-way. The air crackled with electricity as the two of them showed their true strength, with Plagueis's force field slowly being pushed toward himself, until he was forced to disengage and switch his lightsaber on.

"Ay, princess, your mastery of the Force is too strong for me to handle. I am growing old, too old…" he said, parrying the force fields that Deanna sent at him with his saber.

The princess felt she was running out of time when Kai's presence intensified as the young man approached the landing area together with stormtroopers.

"Give up, my dear, you cannot win this battle," Plagueis cackled again sinisterly. Deanna closed the distance, distracting him with short force fields until she thought she was close enough. Suddenly she made the jump that brought her where she meant to be, behind Plagueis. As the old Sith whirled around he felt the excruciating pain when the red blade of a lightsaber pierced through his chest. He fell to his knees in front of the princess.

"You should have never brought me back," she whispered to the agonizing man.

Plagueis gave her a forced smile, fighting back the excruciating pain in his chest. Blood trailed down from the left corner of his thin mouth when he spoke.

"Since we're going to part for good, Princess, let me offer you a good bye present."

He extended his hand to her, and she considered it for a long moment before touching him. She knew he was offering her a memory or a thought he found too difficult to express in words at the moment, when he was getting weaker. She hesitated, thinking it could only be a poisoned gift, but in the end her curiosity prevailed.

She hesitantly reached for Plagueis' hand, and he grasped her firmly. As soon as she touched him, his memories invaded her mind and she could see it clearly, her ship being attacked. It was also the last memory she held from her previous life. It just played differently now, and she could see clearly that the one who had been behind the order to attack her had been Darth Maul.

She wrenched free from Plagueis' grasp, staring at the old Sith Lord in horror.

"You put your trust in the wrong people, Princess. You never knew how to choose your allies."

Deanna could not articulate a word, faced with the betrayal of the man she'd loved the most apart from her father. Plagueis laid back, his face contorted in a content smile, despite his condition.

Just then Darth Kai came running into the bay, saber at the ready, tens of stormtroopers closely following behind him. It took one glance to understand what had happened and pain seared through the apprentice at the sight of his master lying vulnerable on the stone floor.

Upon his arrival, the Princess collected her senses and fled to the ship.

"Deanna," Kai bellowed, and she turned to look at him, close to the entrance of the ship. "I'll find you, even if I have to rake through the whole Galaxy for you. You WILL pay for this!"

The princess weighed him for a moment, feeling his determination and pain. Her heard skipped a beat when his intense glare bored into her eyes. She thought him capable of that, and she shivered at the thought. The war was not won yet. Then, the spell was lifted when Kai kneeled at his master's side. Deanna rushed into the ship.

"Master!" Kai cried, holding Plaguei's limp body and trying in vain to stop the bleeding with his scarce healing knowledge.

"It's too late, my young apprentice. This time she managed to get me," there was a strange smile on the old man's lips, and some weird sense of satisfaction seemed to paint his words.

"Please don't leave me, Master," Darth Kai muttered miserably, cradling his head. "There is still so much that I have to learn to make you proud."

"You are wrong, there is little that I could still teach you, Kai. You are strong and loyal, and hardworking, and you will persevere on your own. I have taught you all you needed to know. Now it is up to you to rebuild the Empire. I know you have it in you. "

Kai shook his head fervently.

"No, Master. Please hold on."

"You are a child of the Force, Kai. You will eliminate the last Jedi and bring balance to the Force."

Kai watched him, petrified.

Plagueis raised his arm, looking at the stormstroopers before them and gathering his last forces.

"I give you my successor, Darth Kai. From now on it is only him that you will follow."

The mass of stormtroopers saluted as Kai held the lifeless form of his master in his arms.

Behind them the ship rose, and almost immediately launched in hyperdrive.


	25. Chapter 25

**Epilogue**

He sat in a spacious chamber overlooking the grand Valley of the Sithlords and beyond, the massive chain of rocky mountains gracing Moraband's North continent.

The young Sith Lord sat on the old gray stone throne, where several generations of Sith Lords had sat and meditated before him. Many had elaborated their plans and planned their vengeance in this very chamber, and had made difficult decisions.

Lord Plagueis had been sitting here recently as well. _This was his place_ , Kai thought, wincing.

He'd always wished to one day sit here, he'd always aspired to his master's power. But somehow, now it felt like Plagueis had left him far too soon.

There were so many challenges ahead. Controlling the First Order. Destroying the Jedi once and for all. Controlling the Galaxy. Avenging his master's death.

There was a subtle knock on the door. A high ranking officer appeared in the doorway and bowed.

"Milord, it is time. The ceremony is about to start."

Kai dismissed him with a silent gesture and stood.

When he walked through the majestic Ceremony hall, over one thousand officers and knights of Ren knelt and humbly saluted the new Supreme Leader.

Reaching the other end of the Hall, Kai stood on the platform, turned toward the crowd and saluted.

Looking at the faces of the men before him, suddenly he felt serene. If the Force had chosen him to be here, Kai was sure there was a purpose for him.


	26. Chapter 26

As the new Emperor, Darth Kai faces many challenges: destroy the Jedi Order, crush General Hux's rebellion, consolidate his power and win a certain princess' heart. The odds seem in his favor, especially when Kylo Ren offers his help. But can Jamie Kenobi still do something about it?

The Sequel to White Knights and Dark Apprentices is up: "Across the Galaxy"


End file.
